By Safae Ben Karroum HAF Program Coordinator Members of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy met with the HAF to plant trees as part of their initiative “The Social Solidarity Project to Reduce the Negative Effects of the Covid-19 Virus.” Since its establishment in 2000, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) has witnessed continuous growth and success in

Sanae Benaadim HAF Office Manager & Volunteer Coordinator Dr.Yossef Ben-Meir and President Moulay Lahcen Hbid signed the partnership agreement at Wilaya of Marrakech. On Friday, March 27, I was honored to accompany my colleagues, the President of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir,  and HAF Program Assistant, Lahcen Ait Ouatouch, to the regional

Megan Sprotte and Megan Williams HAF-UVA Interns Climate change is impacting water resources in Morocco, creating aggravated conditions as a result of both the environmental characteristics and social vulnerability that are present in the region. As the average global temperature of Earth continues to increase, there will be wide effects on a number of climatic

By Zainab Hachoumi HAF Volunteer A meeting of the MSP steering committee members with the citizens of Youssoufia, March 2021. Youssoufia is one of the rapidly growing provinces in the region of Marrakech-Safi. It is known for its phosphate production, crafts, and traditional textiles. The area where it is located allows it to have a

By Zainab Hachoumi, HAF Intern Kaoutar Ait Lahaj, HAF Program Coordinator The general assembly of the Moroccan Platform for the Decentralization of Renewable Energies visiting Akrich. The High Atlas Foundation together with GermanWatch and the steering committee of the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Project (MSP) have been carrying out their work on the decentralization of renewable energies

Bezawit Mesfin Bogale HAF-UVA Intern  Trees play a vital role in preserving the environment for generations. The environment is key for survival in terms of not only health but also association with one another in our community. It is known that trees give off oxygen, reduce the amount of stormwater, provide natural habitat, and contribute

Shivani Lakshman HAF-UVA Intern The Moroccan government recently laid out a new forestry strategy intended to meet five major goals: sustain natural resources in forests and National Parks, engage local users in forest management, promote rural development, strengthen forests’ productive potential, and preserve biodiversity (Ministre de l’Agriculture). By 2030, Morocco aims to restore 133,000 hectares

Kaoutar Ait Lahaj Social Media Program Coordinator On Sunday, February 20, 2021, the High Atlas Foundation inaugurated the solar water pumping system at our Akrich nursery. We are grateful to our partner FENELEC for donating the system and for their commitment  to promoting renewable energy solutions in Morocco.  On February 28, 2021, the High Atlas

Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, Katie Bercegeay, and Sofia Ashooh A mother language is the language of the heart. This Mother Language Day the High Atlas Foundation celebrates the people of Morocco and recognizes the importance of human connection and understanding to achieve sustainable development. We are able to express ourselves in our mother language unlike any

Earthday’s Climate Literacy webinar  announcement During the last week of September, the Earth Day organization held a webinar entitled “Igniting Climate Literacy: Creating a Citizenry Ready and Willing to Act Now and Build a Sustainable Economic Future” to celebrate the 50th annual Earth Day. Organizers of the event gathered notable panelists from around the world

Cool News in a Warming World: Why Invest in Future Forests, Daily News, By Finn Grundmann. HAF Volunteer, Plant Enthusiast, and Scientific Assistant in Ecosystem Restoration Projects Forests capture more than carbon. While through the mechanism of photosynthesis, plants are experts at retrieving carbon dioxide from the air, they have also perfected strategies to retain

Arabic version A photo taken by Ilyas Dkhissi during a participatory approach meeting with men and women farmers in Fquih Ben Salah province – Beni Mellal region, on Sep, 4th 2019 For decades, climate change has been left to scientists – and they, to their credit, have given us the strong indication we need that

HAF Volunteer On January 15, my journey with Nora to Toubkal Mountains began with much enthusiasm and excitement. On the first day, we headed to the first village, “Missour,” where we felt very welcomed. We tried to create a comfortable environment for families, make the communication as smooth as possible, and establish a good atmosphere

– Let’s make it green on January 20th: High Atlas Foundation will Plant Thousands of Trees, The Policy Times, 18 January 2020. MARRAKECH, Morocco – Jan. 10, 2020 – As the new year begins, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) would like to invite Moroccan communities to aid in the planting of thousands of trees on Monday,

By Professor Ellen Hernandez HAF Volunteer The High Atlas Foundation’s office in Marrakech is a beehive of activity. I am a new volunteer who arrived in Morocco yesterday and already met with office staff. Today, I have been invited to return to meet Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir, the HAF president, and I have just entered during

Karam-Yane Azzabi, Tahannaout HAF Financial Manager From 25 to 27 November 2019, in Tahannaout (Al Haouz province, Morocco), several public sector actors local association representatives participated in a strategic planning training session along with High Atlas Foundation (HAF) members Amina El Hajjami (Project Director) and Karam-Yane Azzabi (Financial Manager). This event was sponsored by Morocco’s

By Karam Yane Azzabi HAF Project Manager As part of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) project activities, Imane and I – respectively the OES project manager and the OES coordinator in the High Atlas Foundation –  went to the Mohammed VI Technical High School in Marrakech on Friday 27th of

– Empowering Rural Participation and Partnerships in Morocco’s Sustainable Development, Journal of Global initiatives, By Yossef Ben-Meir (HAF President), 15 November 2019. Abstract This essay explores the vast potential for participatory and sustainable human development in Morocco. Though Morocco is a country with many diverse resources, it remains burdened by severe levels of poverty and illiteracy, and

Dear Friend, The year has almost reached its end. For HAF, it’s the time to plant trees. Planting trees with farming families and schools in Morocco is an act of empowering recognition and strategic development. It acknowledges the priorities of rural communities and is a vehicle for people’s driven change and transformation. With complete hope

By Kerstin Opfer Operations Manager North Africa is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change and characterised by severe environmental degradation. This compromises already scarce natural resources and thereby the countries’ economic performance, which is heavily dependent on natural capital such as agriculture, phosphates, mineral resources and fisheries. This in turn also

By Kerstin Opfer HAF’s Operations Manager We are living in a time where humankind faces an unprecedented challenge – it is the warmest it has ever been on earth since human presence. The dangers of climate change are known since the 1980s but a lack of will and societal awareness has inhibited the necessary vigorous

Dear Friend, We at the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) wish you a happy end of year and a fulfilling year ahead This Newsletter is an expression of our appreciation for the students from the University of Virginia (UVA) and elsewhere who spent the last two summers with us and will hopefully join us for summers

The High Atlas Foundation at the United Nations Dear Friend, This Newsletter presents the sustainable development work of the High Atlas Foundation and our fulfilling the Special Consultative Status at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations that we have enjoyed since 2011. We are facilitators of development that local communities of Morocco seek, and

Errachid Montassir HAF Project Manager The challenges facing our world at the moment are highly complex, and they are going to affect us all sooner or later: climate change, dwindling natural resources and scarcities of fresh water and foodstuffs. One thing seems clear: we must not waste any more time discussing the problems we are

By Imane Akhezzane Project Manager The Small Grants project of the High Atlas Foundation, which is funded by the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs within the U.S. Department of States aims to encourage the development of innovative, sustainable environmental projects that encourage local sustainable resource management and engage civil society to

By Stefano Dessena HAF Volunteer                             Cherry cultivation in Morocco offers almost 15,000 tons of this fruit every year putting the country on the 25th spot in the global producers’ scoreboard.[1] The main production areas are in the High Atlas Mountains and

Written by Khomenko Ekaterina HAF Volunteer Land degradation is a large issue for Morocco. The Atlas Mountains dominate the central part of the country, explaining why much of the landscape is mountainous with slopes that gradually transition into plateaus and valleys, which are very dry during the summer. Even such, dry areas can be made

By Stefano Dessena HAF Intern What can you do when one cannot count on the abundance of natural resources? You can count on the insights of creative people, and that is our case. This time one great idea can help a lot of people in need and can change their lives. The access to clean

Georgina Kenchington HAF Volunteer Quote of the day: mother nature is most definitely in charge here. Approximately 270 kilometers, or 3.5 hours drive from Oujda lies Bouarfa, the destination of my first experience with cooperatives as a volunteer with the High Atlas Foundation. More specifically, the Farmer-to-Farmer USAID Project, which aims to harness the potential

By Imane Akhezzane Project Manager As a part of a multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSP) project on renewable energy in Morocco, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) facilitated a conference of Climate Action Network – Arab World in Rabat on September 1st, under the topic: Current State of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Review in the Arab Region Towards