Support Girls and Women's Co-Ops in Morocco

Women’s cooperatives are integral to Morocco’s development. In rural areas, where certain gender disparities remain intact, these cooperatives further encourage the transformation of already shifting gender norms.   Training women in embroidery and sewing skills provides women with autonomous sources of income and bolsters the impact of their voices in their communities. The revenues earned from the cooperative activities, in turn, support the continued existence of the cooperatives and diversify families’ income bases. These cooperatives, identified as priorities by the communities themselves, display the inclusive Moroccan Spirit: men and women create a stronger Morocco as they partner to advance the socioeconomic development of their communities.

Recently HAF conducted extensive community participatory meetings throughout the province of Al Haouz. This province is located in the Tensift-Al Haouz region that traverses both Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains as well as its valleys, creating a complex and difficult landscape.  Out of the twenty-nine villages in which HAF supervised participatory meetings, seven of these recognized women’s cooperatives as a priority. The significance of this number increases when taken into account that a handful of these villages already have women’s cooperatives in place. As the next step forward we hope to assist these communities in establishing women’s cooperatives and contributing to their development.  

Thanks to your continued support HAF has been able to expand the scope of its women’s cooperative building in rural Morocco and make a noticeable difference in the lives of not only the women themselves, but also their children and families.