As part of the participatory planning and implementation of community initiatives in the Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab region, in partnership with the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) engaged with community members in the Bir Gandus municipality to bring to light a variety of issues. The process began in a regional forum that took place in October 2022, when one such concern expressed was educational regression amongst students, especially those in primary schools. Many students were not meeting critical developmental milestones such as arithmetic standards. Students expressed a desire for outlets that fostered their creativity and innovative intelligence.

In response, HAF, in collaboration with local educational associations, such as Qodwa, worked towards finding comprehensive alternatives to the traditional educational paradigm of repetition and memorization over comprehension and understanding. From January to June 2024, HAF and Qodwa co-facilitated four sessions (each for three days) of civic awareness and participatory planning, and two community forums, with 73 students (38 girls, 35 boys), local government officials, including the El Caid of Bir Gandus, the National Education trainers to establish school clubs, water, and electricity responsibles, and officials of the Royal Gendarmerie.

HAF received critical feedback from these workshops and forums, where children overwhelmingly suggested primary school workshops and maker spaces where they could create and explore different hobbies and develop a passion. Some examples of these desired maker spaces included, learning computer programming, diving into a new language or art form, and fostering kinaesthetic respite from their academic responsibilities.

The Qodwa, Parents, and other associations having heard this feedback alongside Ministry of Education representatives, resulted in the Parents Association advocating the students’ identified need by sending a letter to the Provincial Director of Education of the Aousserd province for the acquisition of resources to help make these dreams a reality. Critical conversations remain ongoing with the parties and good strides have been made to the benefit of the schools, teachers, and most importantly, the students.

An important result so far in this process is the community initiative - Citizenship Tent for Capacity-Building - which was selected and funded by the MEPI-HAF program. The program enabled students' agency as a key community liaison between local schools and the government, introducing instructors to new participatory pedagogical methods and training students to proactively advocate for their needs.

“I was very happy when I was part of a group of 16 students who met with local decision-makers, and I think I will be a young engineer in Bir Gandus in the field of drinking water because I liked the way the officials explained their work with passion. I would like to be part of the team that helps provide drinking water to Bir Gandus in a safe way one day,” said Mohammed Salem, a student at Bir Gandus Primary School.

Next month, all stakeholders, including officials, students, parents, and teachers will return for another forum. They will evaluate their achievements and build greater public awareness about the Citizenship Tent initiative and the other four community projects launched by the MEPI-HAF program. The new participatory network in Bir Gandus made and composed by members of communities, civil associations, and local government agencies, continue their joint planning for the future and common points of advocacy.

Mending The Wounds of Healthcare Disparity

As part of the Regional Program in the Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab region, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) engaged with community members in the Bir Gandus commune to shine a light on a variety of ongoing issues. In a regional forum that took place in October of 2022, one such grievance expressed was the weaknesses of the health care system in the region.

In Morocco, there are approximately 7 physicians for every 10,000 residents, and in Dakhla, that number drops to 2.1 per 10,000 (12x less than the recommended ratio).[1] A local association “Sanad,” is committed to uplifting and providing comprehensive healthcare to marginalized and low-income communities that could not otherwise afford health treatment. The organization is composed of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other volunteer staff, with the purpose to bridge this existing gap in healthcare through the use of Health Caravans in the region.

In order to ensure that the caravans were effective in their treatment, Sanad conducted a community needs assessment workshop, with over 100 people in attendance. Here, they determined the medical supplies needed and the necessary amount, as well as the amount of clinics needed to be constructed. After coordinating with the Director of the Multifunctional Center for Women and the Director of the National Mutual Aid, the Sanad Association received approval to conduct their first mobile healthcare workshops in two centers within the Dakhla municipality: Tiresse Center on Salam Street and Bader Center on El Wakal street.

Here, these four-day workshops aimed to support women’s awareness regarding common diseases and their prevention, as well as the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. The workshops were interactive, and the facilitator (a nurse) educated participants on sexually transmitted diseases, prevention methods, sexual practice, and the importance of regular check-ups. A total of 84 women in the Tiresse Center and 30 women in the Bader Center benefited from the first workshops. In addition to information dissemination, the caravans carried out various metabolic assessments, spoke with pregnant women, and examined sufferers of chronic diseases. To assist the elderly, the caravan also conducted home visits separate from their clinics.

This initiative was able to bridge the communication divide between community members, health care associations, and regional administrators in the Ministry of Health in Dakhla. Sanad, through consultation with HAF, wrote an advocacy letter to the healthcare administration representative in Dakhla indicating the long-term support and resources that need to be allocated to the community. This letter was drafted in early July 2024.

Making Couscous, Making Change

As part of the Regional Program in the Dakhla Oued Ed Dahab region, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) engaged with community members in the Bir Gandus municipality to shine a light on a variety of issues. In a regional forum that took place in October of 2022, one such grievance expressed was a striking lack of participatory development for women within their community. Most women do not feel they have outlets to express their needs, grievances, or concerns. In response, HAF in partnership with the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative sought to establish an alliance of local women’s cooperatives to provide them with a stake in the social imaginary of the region.

Composed of 25 women from various cooperatives making couscous, this alliance formed a united front through which they were able to express the needs and concerns of their community members to their local government. In addition to the upward sociocultural mobility that this alliance afforded, it also gave the women opportunities to engage in cultural reciprocity; they could learn from each other on how to drive greater revenue in their respective cooperatives.

As the first type of alliance in the Dakhla region, the program focused on participatory democracy. Some things that the women advocated for included: community meetings with local authorities and officials regarding health care and educational needs and concerns, employment opportunities for both men and women, and the infrastructure to support university graduates wanting to return to the region. HAF helped facilitate the creation of such civil engagement service initiatives and a location in which to carry out their alliance duties, including advocating for change, and of course making couscous. This story is a true reflection of successful participatory development at its finest – women banding together with the goal of upward mobility, all while keeping their culture close to their hearts.

Growing Up, Moving Up – Youth Entrepreneurial Empowerment in Dakhla

The posterity of Morocco are future agents of change. As the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) attempts to break cyclical barriers to empowerment for both men and women - especially in rural communities - it is vital that the youth are part of this ongoing conversation. A fourth initiative in the Dakhla region between HAF and the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative aims to act as the keystone that moves the ideals of empowerment and participatory governance across generations: the Citizenship and Participatory Governance Youth Initiative (CPGYI). Since its implementation, the CPGYI has been educating youth on the importance of community involvement, personal advocacy, and communication with stakeholders.

This initiative works with young men and women in Dakhla between the ages of 18 and 35 and aims to educate them on civic engagement, participatory democracy, and engage them with local issues — environmental, social, cultural, and economic. CPGYI forces participants to ask the following questions: How can I be a productive member of their community? Do I want a stake in the entrepreneurial strata? What steps do I need to take to get them there? How can I balance my goals and my community’s goals?

Firstly, the initiative demystifies the process of starting and maintaining a business and navigating confusing and often long governmental processes. Secondly, the CPGYI gives youth participants the tools to be agents of change. Especially pertinent for women, this understanding of agency helps women design and execute more productive cooperatives that also align with their personal goals.

In an initial workshop with 30 students (28 girls and 2 boys) and 50 women between 18 and 35, HAF and CPGYI trained participants on how to efficiently and effectively navigate governmental and societal processes to start their own businesses. The Initiative and Foundation offered different methods on starting community projects that can evolve into more robust enterprises, as well as how individuals can make decisions for themselves in an entrepreneurial fashion.

The chief result of the project was a joint letter of appeal drafted by CPGYI and HAF to the Regional Investment Office in Dakhla, detailing the achievements of the program and the importance of investing in the entrepreneurial futures of youth. It showed the importance and benefits of entrepreneurial empowerment, youth engagement, and the emphasis of participatory governance and urged the Office to advise the prospective business owners beyond the tenure of the program between HAF and MEPI. Most importantly, young adults were empowered to take adulthood in stride and be their own agents of change for themselves and their communities.

Gara Fok Gara – Legitimizing Nomadic Struggles in the Face of Climate Change

Morocco resides at an unfair environmental median. On one side, Morocco, like any other country, is forced to bear the brunt of the climate crisis. A country of high mountains, arid desert, and small pockets of arable farmland, the existing weather conditions already result in an inconsistent crop yield. However, the effects of climate change have propelled Morocco into six years of drought and an unprecedented water crisis. On the other side of the median is a Morocco that is largely not responsible for the effects of climate change that they are forced to contend with.

In this light, underserved communities, especially nomadic peoples, are forced to disproportionately shoulder the burden of other countries’ destructive decisions. This unfairness necessitates the fifth initiative of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) and the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Dakhla program: Gara Fok Gara, a joint Association-Foundation alliance and initiative that strives to advocate for the issues of nomads in the wake of modernization and climate degradation.

Through mediation from HAF and MEPI, an alliance was formed from five different nomadic groups in the Dakhla region. The 25-person alliance (17 women and 8 men) served as the representative body for nomads in the region in order to centralize their grievance process.

In open forums centered around the ideals of participatory development, nomadic groups voiced their concerns over the impacts of climate change. These meetings were convened by HAF and Gara Fok Gara and took place in the various nomadic camps in the Sahara. The grievances expressed were consulted by the alliance, and included the need for increased water sources, renewable energy systems, and increased support for well building and solar panel construction.

After community appraisal, Gara Fok Gara began drafting an advocacy letter to request resource assistance from local governmental agencies, and is expected to be completed by mid-August. The continued success of this initiative is realized through the creation of a nomadic alliance in Dakhla and the continued communication between the communities and government – legitimizing the concerns of an often overlooked group in Moroccan society.

Aidan Iacobucci is a Research Intern at the High Atlas Foundation and a student at Princeton University.