Dear HAF Supporter,
Two hours into the cedar forests of Morocco’s Middle Atlas, the Ain Leuh tree nursery hums with quiet purpose. Thousands of young olive, pomegranate, and fig saplings stretch toward the morning sun as women like Lalla Aicha, the nursery’s steady and caring presence, tend the soil. A widow and mother, this work is her only source of income. “This work keeps my children warm and fed,” she told us.
Nearby, Rachid, six months into his job, speaks proudly of providing stability for his two children. At the center of it all stands Youssef, the nursery manager, beside more than 175,000 thriving olive saplings. With a solar pump and a 5,000-ton irrigation basin, Ain Leuh is now capable of holding nearly 800,000 trees.
But nurseries like Ain Leuh grow more than saplings. They grow futures.
Traveling south to Ouarzazate, a farmer gently lifts the branches of the almond trees he planted with HAF in 2022. This year, the branches bent with fruit, his first real harvest. He has already requested more trees to expand his farm and support his community.
In Talat-n-Mimoun, once barren fields now bloom thanks to a well, solar panels, and drip irrigation. In Aklat Al-Sidrah, Omar and his neighbors are shifting from struggling livestock production to climate-resilient agriculture with 500 young fruit trees and new training in organic farming, with support from HAF.
“Raising livestock has become harder every year because of climate change,” Omar told us. “But planting trees has given us new hope. Even though we’re new to this, our community is eager to learn. With training in organic farming and the chance to earn organic certification, we believe we can turn our land into something sustainable for us and for future generations.”
And in Ain Beni Mathar, teacher and farmer Abdel Rahman planted 2,300 trees this year, creating employment for three families in a region where opportunities are scarce.
Hope has many names in the communities you reached this year.
Sometimes it is called Aisha, bending over the soil that feeds her children.
Sometimes it is a farmer lifting the first almond harvested in years.
Sometimes it is the sound of water arriving where there was once only dust.
But always, hope begins with someone who believes change is possible.
This year, that someone was YOU.
With your support, what begins as a single act of care can ripple outward, creating enduring impact across communities and the land they cultivate.
A $100 year-end gift will ensure that:
- 200 organic fruit saplings are grown in a community-managed nursery and benefit 2 farming families
- 1 agricultural terrace is restored to enhance food production and stem erosion
- Two women participate in 4 IMAGINE empowerment workshops
- Four people gain access to clean water for drinking and irrigation
With gratitude,
The High Atlas Foundation