By Houria Chouhab
HAF F2F Field Assistant and Technical Volunteer

As a regular participant in Imagine workshops, I can always feel the difference between each training, and our workshop at La 3éme Millénaire Coopérative did not differ from the previous cooperatives.

For their next stop, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) Farmer to Farmer (F2F) team members moved to Douar Kriziza, Bourrous Commune, Rhamna province, in order to conduct an Imagine Workshop with 20 women from 3éme Millénaire Cooperative. This co-op produces different types of couscous that no other cooperative in the region has thought of making: quinoa-based and vegetables-based couscous.

The F2F team has previously paid a visit to this place in order to collect data and discuss further collaboration where the team will provide technical assistance, and they suggested conducting an Imagine workshop for the benefit of the women working there. The president welcomed the idea, especially since she has been looking for similar workshops for a long time, as she knows it would help solve the co-op’s internal issues.

Despite the fact that this cooperative had a large number of orders, they found time for this workshop to be conducted. This shows their willingness to improve themselves and their openness to development.

The women of the co-op accomplishing one of the workshop’s exercises. Photo Credit: Houria Chouhab

The workshop facilitator presented the program that would be covered during the four days and asked them for commitment and engagement in return. The women were soon immersed in the axes of the empowerment workshop and enjoyed full participation.

Day after day, you can feel the change in the women’s behavior, thoughts and body language. The president was thankful and glad that “Work” was one of the discussed topics. She admitted that women inside the co-op work hard, despite the inequality of the amounts done. However, it was important to remind them of the work ethic and the notion of “cooperation.”

Women of La 3éme Millénaire Coopérative earn their certificates of completion for the Imagine workshop. Photo credit: Imane Chakib

At the end of the workshop, the women promised to keep the same commitment, engagement and respect for work ethic.