{"id":19159,"date":"2021-01-11T14:50:20","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T14:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highatlasfoundation.org\/?p=19159"},"modified":"2021-01-29T17:13:47","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T17:13:47","slug":"womens-empowerment-growing-seeds-of-self-discovery-in-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/womens-empowerment-growing-seeds-of-self-discovery-in-morocco\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Empowerment: Growing Seeds of Self-Discovery in Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Caption: The participants doing \u201ctwinkles\u201d (in lieu of applause) in Achbaro for Lalla Nezha after presenting her affirmation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Women\u2019s empowerment is a key to having a successful and bright future for Morocco. The IMAGINE Program\u2019s main objective is to help women discover what they want most in life. So what is exactly the IMAGINE workshop? How do we empower girls and women in Morrocan rural areas?<\/span>The IMAGINE program is a trip of self-discovery with women over the course of four full days. Each day has a specific format consisting of four modules divided into seven areas: emotions, <\/span>relationships<\/span><\/a>, sexuality, body, <\/span>money<\/span><\/a>, work, and discovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Twenty Women\u2019s Empowerment Workshops in Al Haouz, Morocco<\/span><\/h2>\n

During the final weeks of 2020, Amina El Hajjami,High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Director of Projects, conducted two IMAGINE women\u2019s empowerment workshops, funded by the U.S Embassy in Morocco. This project, managed by Mina Alaoui Kamal and Moulay Hassan Aladlouni as Project Managers, aims to bolsterring women\u2019s development in rural areas .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first workshop took place in the village of Sidi Ali O Fares in the Setti Fadma commune, where ten women participated. The second workshop was held in the village of Achbaro, in the Tameslouht commune of the Al Haouz province, with an additional ten women.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imane Akhezzan and I accompanied Amina as apprentices for the two workshops. After one year of observation and training, we will be able to conduct our first women\u2019s empowerment workshops in the future, helping HAF spread its work even further into Morocco.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Caption: The first day of the IMAGINE Women\u2019s Empowerment workshop in Sidi Ali O Fares, Morocco.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first day is spent getting acquainted with the empowerment program. The women begin the workshop breaking the ice with introductions and activities to feel comfortable with one another and with the HAF facilitators before diving into more intimate topics.<\/span><\/p>\n

From there, the participants delve into a trip of self-discovery and personal growth. Culturally, it is not common to speak about emotions in Morocco, so the workshop starts by helping the participants build the vocab to speak about their feelings and have the confidence to do so aloud. Facilitators highlight many new concepts that are built upon through the subsequent days of the workshop: self-esteem, confidence, growing age, goals, and affirmations, among others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Planting Seeds of Empowerment<\/p>\n

Using imagery that parallels HAF\u2019s goal to increase economic empowerment in Morocco through planting endemic fruit trees, participants of the women\u2019s empowerment workshops begin to understand the importance of nurturing their inner selves. They come to understand the law of attraction: manifesting what you desire within yourself to achieve it in your life. It is the same principle that allows a seed planted in the ground to attract all the nutrients from the soil that it needs in order to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the early stages of the workshop, the women discover their \u201cinternal soil.\u201d If the soil is fertile, they can plant seeds that will grow healthy and strong, helping them to reach their goals and desires. One way to ensure a healthy internal soil is to identify the \u201climiting beliefs\u201d (challenges, obstacles, and cultural\/personal beliefs) that hold one back from nurturing a healthy soil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These first parts of the workshop teaches the participants how to transform the limiting beliefs and behavior patterns that are causing difficulties, watering seeds instead of weed, and instead direct these new creative energies toward achieving what they really want\u2014from a healthier body to better relationships; from material success to a richer spiritual life. Facilitators do this by asking targeted questions:<\/span><\/p>\n