“Plant a Tree Even If It’s the Day of Resurrection” Said the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be upon Him).
Every third Monday of January is the High Atlas Foundation’s annual event “Tree Planting Day.” On this date, all staff members and volunteers come together and plant organic fruit trees across nearly a dozen regions in Morocco. My site this year was the Sbaiaat municipality in El youssoufia province, where we brought 1,800 trees of Almond, Pomegranate, and Fig varieties, to be planted (without pesticides of course!).
On a beautiful rainy morning yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with 15 farmers and discuss their amazing commitment to not only advance the organic agricultural field in Morocco, but also contribute to protection of their environment. After this, we got our hands dirty while planting trees with the help of some local farmers, and two schoolchildren. With this, I was proud to invoke one of HAF’s main principles of “spreading the culture of planting among kids and their communities.”
Finally, we finished our day with a delicious lunch of Couscous kindly prepared by community members who encouraged us to keep spreading our mission, continue our dedication to furthering sustainable development.
As a HAF project manager and Moroccan youth, I am proud to contribute to environmental protection, empowerment, and economic growth in communities across the nation!