Peter Wu, HAF Volunteer Essaouira may stand as a great example to the world for how religious diversity should prevail: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities have historically co-existed in Essaouira peacefully. While other regions of the world are endlessly fighting over religious matters, it is both interesting and delightful to observe how the Essaouira people

By Houria Chouhab HAF Volunteer Marrakech is a city entrenched in diversity, this diversity manifests itself in many ways: economically, culturally, and perhaps most notably, religiously. On 21st of May, Mr. Jacky Kadoch, the President of the Jewish Community in Marrakech-Safi region, organized an Iftar ceremony that brought both Muslim and Jewish communities together to

CHOUHAB Houria HAF Volunteer On the 22nd of May in a commune called Ounagha 25km away from Marrakech MOGADOR Cooperative, a women’s cooperative of Argan products and Amlou, had a meeting with The High Atlas Foundation’s team and the ambassadors of FRÉ Skin Care. Both FRÉ and HAF execute activities within this cooperative, benefitting the

French version Dear Friends, My name is Martine Roberts and I am the newest member of the Board of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF). I am writing to you from Marrakech, Morocco, where I have spent the last month immersing myself in HAF’s mission and current initiatives. As a Moroccan-American woman, I am honored and

Youssef Moussaoui HAF Volunteer On Thursday, the 28th of March, the team of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) visited with HAF Board Member Martine Roberts the nurseries of Akrich, Imegdal, and Tadmamt. Our first stop was the Akrich nursery where HAF planted over 30,000 almond and fig seeds. Talking about the ways to preserve and

By Yossef Ben-Meir HAF President The High Atlas Foundation had the great pleasure to welcome former Fulbright Scholars from the United States to its office in Marrakech. It was a great feeling to be together, people with the shared commitment to utilize opportunities for research and education to measurably move forward the people’s development.  Our

By Houria CHOUHAB HAF Volunteer One of the good feelings is walking into a place for the first time and having flashbacks to childhood memories, and this is exactly what happened during my visit to the MOGADOR Cooperative. The Cooperative is in the center of Ounagha, 25 km from Essaouira, and it is surrounded by

– Civil Society Matters to the Sustainable Development Goals, Global Research, by Peter Jacques (Visiting Expert), 8 February 2019. •  Arabic: Al-Watan Voice, 16 February 2019.Life and death for whole communities hang in the balance of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that include eliminating poverty, conserving forests, and addressing climate change, passed by the United Nations unanimously

Work-study students, interns, and volunteers of the High Atlas Foundation have opportunities to analyze development as it is experienced in rural and urban communities, by farmers, women, youth, and people of all backgrounds.  We also give the students and volunteers the encouragement and support that they need in order to write their observations, improve upon their writing,

 By SAID EL BENNANI, Project Manager Crossing the High Atlas Mountains—from Marrakech to Ouarzazate—to get to the Ighrem N’Ougdal commune, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) decided with the Jewish community in Morocco and all of the local authorities to start planning the first fruit tree nursery in the Draa Tafilalet region. This follows the successful

Today we had a great meeting with the director of the Cultural Delegation in Essaouira, Zhor Amhaouch. We had the opportunity to discuss together the project to restore a Franciscan church, which will not only preserve the historic, diverse, and magnificent cultural heritage of Morocco, but also create human development opportunities for local civil society

– المغرب العميق بعيون جزائري, Sotal Iraq, by Brahim Bahmani Rai (HAF Intern), 28 November 2018 الكاتب: إبراهيم بحماني الراعي متطوع في مؤسسة الأطلس الكبير    بعد انتهاء مرحلة التعليم الجامعي في شهر يونيو سنة 2018 فكرت في تنظيم رحلة سياحية الى خارج الوطن، فشاءت حكمة الله أن أزور لأول مرة في حياتي البلد المجاور لدولة الجزائر وهي دولة المغرب

– A Model to Implement Sustainable Development in Morocco, SAIS Review of International Affairs, by Yossef Ben-Meir (HAF President) 12 October 2018.  In terms of human development potential, Morocco is a nation of immense promise, where gifted fortunes of nature such as wide-ranging organic agricultural products come together with dynamic social development frameworks. This could launch the

Manon Burbidge HAF Intern- Marrakech Lund University, Sweden January is the traditional tree-planting season in Morocco, meaning that right now, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is gearing up to take on new tree-planting project ideas that are springing up across the country. Last week, I joined Errachid, HAF’s project manager, on his site visits to

By Professor Afaf Hamzaoui  Faculty of Languages, Arts and Human Sciences in Ait Melloul Dr. Yossef Ben- Meir, president of High Atlas Foundation and he is one of my best friends, asked me if I would like to meet a group of American-Jewish ladies who would like to know about the Moroccan historical background as

This interview was conducted by Hajar Ennamli, a student of the National School of Commerce and Management in Oujda, with Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, president of the High Atlas Foundation. 29th October 2018 Q: Tell me a little about your negotiation experiences? A: One can make the case that community development is ultimately a negotiation challenge. Can

    By Fatima Zahra Laaribi HAF Financial Manager and Women’s Empowerment Trainer The event “Fulfilling Moroccan Development Visions,” held the 9th of October 2018, began with expressions of gratitude to The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) for organizing such an important gathering. Gratitude was extended to all staff members of the Mohammed VI Museum for

By Eliana Lisuzzo HAF Project Assistant The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is a United States-Moroccan nonprofit organization committed to facilitating community-identified initiatives that catalyze sustainable human development in Morocco. One initiative we are extremely proud of is Cemetery Preservation in Essaouira that rehabilitates Jewish cemeteries and makes them more welcoming for families and visitors, to

– Muslim-Jewish goodwill blossoms in Morocco, Qantara, By Yossef Ben-Meir (HAF President), 19 September 2018. • Arabic: Qantara, 23 September 2018. • German: Qantara, 27 September 2018. The High Atlas Foundationʹs fruit tree nursery project Since 2012, the Moroccan Jewish community has been helping local farmers by donating land around ancient cemeteries for the planting of fruit tree nurseries. The aim:

By Ibtissam Niri HAF Empowerment Facilitator Our workshops for cooperative-building efforts in the Oriental Region may have finished weeks ago, but the process for the High Atlas Foundation (HAF)–joined this week by the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)–to follow up with its impact on participants continues. One year of preparation, 35 cooperatives, six provinces,

Khalid (left) tells HAF about the challenges of starting a new cooperative and the solutions he and fellow Alaymoune members identified as a result of attending HAF’s training. By Eliana Lisuzzo Project Assistant The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) staff has met many driven Moroccan people with big plans to make a difference in their lives

By Hannah Rickard, Intern for Multicultural Initiatives August 6, 2015 HAF team members attend the annual Throne Day party as guests of the president of the Jewish Community of Marrakesh-Essaouira, Mr. Jacky Kadoch. On a warm, breezy evening on Tuesday, July 28th, High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Interim Executive Director/Director of Development Jacqueline Seeley, Communications Assistant

August 14, 2015 By Hannah Rickard, Intern HAF interns travel to Essaouira to donate some of HA3’s own walnut oil to members of the culturally diverse HAF community.   (Date of Essaouira trip: 08/5/15) Escaping from the heat of Marrakech, HAF intern for technological and social media initiatives, Miranda LaBrash, and intern for multicultural initiatives,

By Caroline Hoffmann, Report & Public Information Officer September 8, 2015 The following post describes a visit by American high school students to cemeteries in Essaouira, for the purpose of developing an understanding of Morocco’s rich history. American high school students on scholarship to study Arabic toured the historic Christian and Jewish cemeteries in Essaouira

By Ida Sophie Winter September 28, 2015 The following blog post details how the High Atlas Foundation is helping rural Moroccan communities reap the benefits of value-added almond processing.   The High Atlas Foundation and 693 rural High Atlas families have produced 100 tons of almonds this year, many of which are grown on over 100

On October 22, 2015 the United States Ambassador to the Kingom of Morocco, Mr. Dwight Bush, hosted in his Rabat home, Villa America, a reception to celebrate the human development work of the High Atlas Foundation in Morocco. The special gathering included 100 guests from different walks of life but who all share a dedication to

By Elle Houby, HAF Development member October 27, 2015 Last week, on the evening of October 22, 2015, around one hundred guests gathered at Villa America, the U.S. Ambassador Dwight L. Bush’s residence in Rabat to celebrate a milestone for the High Atlas Foundation. In 2000, former Peace Corps volunteers founded the HAF with a vision

By Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir October 28, 2015 HAF president Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir expresses his gratitude for last week’s event hosted by the United States Ambassador to the Kingom of Morocco, Mr. Dwight Bush, in his Rabat home, Villa America, where a reception was held to celebrate the human development work of the High Atlas Foundation

Communiqué de presse 27 janvier 2016 POUR DIFFUSION IMMEDIATE Morocco: Soutenir le développement économique d’une manière enrichissante pour tous : la Maison de Vie, une initiative interculturelle d’agriculture bio de la Fondation du Haut Atlas et de l’engagement à l’action de la Clinton Clinton Global Initiative. Monday, January 25th, 2016 – Akrich, rural commune of Tamesloht,

A qui de droit: C’est avec plaisir que je joins le texte de l’allocution prononcée par M. Younès Al Badawi, gouverneur d’Al Haouz, le 25 janvier 2016 à la cérémonie de signature d’un engagement à l’action de la Clinton Global Initiative, à laquelle a assisté M. Dwight L. Bush, Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis d’Amérique au Royaume