Child Protection Morocco Project #8783

Improve Rural Moroccan Schools: Sami's Project

by High Atlas Foundation

Improve Rural Moroccan Schools: Sami's Project

Project Report | Jun 29, 2012
POSTCARD: Project Site Visit

By Shonali Banerjee and Aliza Appelbaum | GlobalGiving In-The-Field Representatives

All of us walking down to the orchards.

Shonali Banerjee and Aliza Appelbaum are In-The-Field Representatives for GlobalGiving. They are visiting projects in Morocco, Spain and France. Here is their most recent "postcard" from Morocco:

On June 27, 2012, Aliza and I had the pleasure of visiting two local High Atlas Foundation project sites, both in the High Atlas Mountains outside of Marrakech. In the afternoon, HAF Project Manager Abderrahim took us to Tassa Ouirguane, a rural village home to Sami's Project and several other development projects.

After arriving in the village, we were invited into the home of the local town leader, Hassan. While there, we discussed the benefits of the project whie enjoying tea, fresh baked bread and olive oil made from local olives. Since Hassan only spoke a Berber dialect, Abderrahim kindly acted as translator for us while we talked about how Sami's project has impacted the village and improved the livelihoods of the local citizens.

After leaving Hassan's home, we walked down the road to see the orchards and site where they will build a women's co-op. The co-op is the next project the village leaders have chosen for their community, and Abderrahim told us it can be built in about two months. We were thoroughly impressed by how quickly this project will be completed. Hopefully the next time GlobalGiving representatives visit Morocco, they will be able to see the finished co-op!

We were accompanied to the orchards by Hassan and his son Abdul Karim (pictured below), who brought an empty crate to pick some of the fruit. We saw apricots, plums, and nectarines, all ready to be picked. As we came to different kinds of trees, we got to try all the different kinds of delicious fruits. After a few minutes, we decided to climb up in the trees also to pick our own. It was a fun and interactive site visit!

This also felt rather like coming full circle. In the morning, we were able to see the small cherry and walnut saplings in the nursery. In the afternoon, we saw a flourishing orchard, where village leaders are successfully selling the produce in local markets.

Sadly, the school was already closed for summer vacation, but we stopped by to see it on the way back to Marrakech. The school is for primary education only right now, but considering the low literacy levels endemic to the region, this is a great start for the village. Aliza and I were thrilled to visit this site, and see just how much of an imapct this High Atlas Foundation project is having on the local community.

Abdul Karim picking plums to sell in the market.

Picking fresh plums from the tree!

Aliza enjoying a juicy fresh plum!

Local families came out to say hello!

The Sami's project primary school.

Links:

See the High Atlas Foundation project page here.

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May 11, 2012
1st Planting Season Ends: April/May 2012 updates

By Ouafa Elbargui | Project Coordinator

May 2012 Updates

The partnership agreement between HAF and the provincial Director of National Education in Tahanaout states that the HAF will provide 500 trees to benefit five schools — one situated in the territory of Tahanaout municipality and the other four schools in Ouirgane rural commune. After finishing with the first school in Tahanaout (named Alkairaouane), the HAF resumed the tree planting at the other four schools in Ouirgane commune:

April 24, 2012 Sami’s Project resumption, Tassa Ouirgan, Ouirgane and Tororde elementary schools and Ouirgane Middle school, Ouirgane rural commune, Al Haouz Province.

On April 24^th, the tree planting was started at schools,Ouirgane, Al Haouz Province. HAF’s project team, Students, teachers and managers of the schools accompanied with some members of students Parents association and some villagers participated together in planting 400 trees. The HAF’s staff explained and introduced the Sami’s project and HAF’s work to the school children, while the teachers made the students aware about the importance of the tree and the different benefits we get from it. The professional farmers of each school community showed the students how to dig the holes and how to plant in their school yards. The HAF’s project team spent three days planting with four schools in Ouirgane. Personally, as a HAF’s project coordinator, I enjoyed the three days of sharing with these students – girls and boys from different ages and grades – the inspiring beautiful moments of tree planting. I kept observing passionately the joy and glory shining from their eyes while holding each tree and removing the black plastic carefully from its roots to the ending moment when they put it firmly into the hole and covered its roots with soil.

April 24, 2012: Tree planting at Tassa Ouirgane school.

There are 70 students studying at this small elementary school; around 10 trees were planted at the school yard but no tree was planted in the outside space of school because the parents of the students and the school staff assured that the outside is not protective for the tree planting. In view of the narrow space at school, the HAF’s project team distributed the rest of trees to all of the students to plant them in their family’s orchards. The attached photos display the tree planting and distribution event at Tassa Ouirgane school.

April 24, 2012: Tree planting at Ouirgane elementary school.

This school and that of Tassa Ouirgane were planted simultaneously that’s why I was not able to attend at Ouirgane elementary school during its planting day, about 15 km from Tassa Ouirgane school. There are 200 students studying at this elementary school; around 50 trees were planted at the school yard and alongside the school wall and the rest of the trees were given as a reward to the villagers and parents of students, who took part in digging holes and showing the students how to position and care after a tree; they were given simply to the people who participated eagerly to make this splendid event happen. The school manager and teachers stated that they were very happy and lucky, for their school is one of the selected schools to be planted by the help of HAF. The attached photos display the tree planting and the setting of a fence to protect trees at Ouirgane elementary school.

April 26, 2012: Tree planting at Tororde school.
On 26th of April 2012, at 10:00 am, all the students of Tororde school were gathered wholeheartedly to plant their school yard. Unfortunately, the school manager was not there that day because she had a training in Marrakech. There were about 31 students at school, 14 members of the association of students parents, two teachers and the HAF’s project coordinator all of them worked hand-in-hand; each one from his role to make this day a very interesting day to celebrate the Earth Day. The attached pictures show the enthusiastic atmosphere of the team during tree planting and distribution at Tororde school.

May 03, 2012: Tree planting at Ouirgane Middle school.

On the 26^th of April, The HAF’s project coordinator took 100 trees to this school. Every school year, the students of this Middle school allocate a day for environment, so this day was timed to coincide with the April tree planting season done by HAF. On the 3^rd of May, the school staff and students organized many workshops to celebrate this day in which each group of students carry out its mission to accomplish it by the end of the day. There were three workshops: School cleaning, walls painting, and tree planting. I was with the third group –Tree planting- we spent the whole morning planting trees in some empty spaces mentioned by the manager of school. The group of students feel very satisfied for they had managed to dig holes and plant a lot of trees in their school yard in a successful and skillful way especially when some students tried to make a logical link between their theoretical studies at school about plants, the techniques of tree planting they learnt from their fathers, as most of them are sons of farmers, and the practical exercises they did during that moment of planting. The attached pictures shows the tree planting at Ouirgane Middle school:

Sami’s Project

Sami’s Project strengthens the relationship between these children and their environment. It is by planting a tree in a school yard or in one’s family’s orchard, and by maintaining it and caring deeply about it , these children can appreciate the benefits of this tree, perceive the importance of the environment and life in general; they can also learn how to protect and maintain their Earth as our original mother. This is what was explicitly shown in all of these students actions and deeds when digging holes, and when holding, planting and watering trees; the whole procedure from the beginning to the end is a sort of an interaction between kids and trees, between future and life.

Finally, on behalf of these students and HAF, I’d like to thank a lot the Elkouhen Family, who devote their time and effort to offer these valuable trees to these Moroccan elementary schools in memory of their small child Sami, and I’d like to thank also all the potential donors, who keep contributing their money day after day to make “Sami’s Project :Trees for kids” go on.

Attachments:

2012.05 Project update (PDF)

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Mar 12, 2012
Sami's Project Jan-Feb 2012

By Hilary White | Grants Manager

TREES FOR KIDS: Sami’s Project UPDATES

February 2012 update: Project Coordinator Ouafa Elbargui reports that a partnership agreement has been signed between HAF and the Education Ministry’s Al Haouz Province Délégué (provincial representative) to extend Sami’s Project to 4 more elementary schools and 1 middle school in Al Haouz Province, planting 100 trees per school.

January 5, 2012 Sami’s Project launch, Tahanaout, Al Haouz Province, MOROCCO

On January 5th at the Al Kairaouane School in Tahanaout, Al Haouz Province, HAF’s staff accompanied the El Kouhen family for the inauguration of the wonderful project Trees for Kids: Sami’s Project, inspired by loving memories of their 3-year-old son Sami who, before losing his battle with cancer 5 years ago, had already shown his love for the outdoors even at such an early age.

Sami’s Project teaches elementary school students the numerous benefits that trees can bring to a community and then trains them in how to plant and maintain trees in their school yards. The eventual fruits of the trees (olive and orange) will benefit the school.

The Al Kairaouane School’s teachers, the Education Ministry’s representative Mr. Abdeljalil Maarouf, Mr. Mohammed Elaarabi El Aiadi (the Pasha), community members, and members of local associations all came together with HAF to join the El Kouhen family in this first planting of trees with schoolchildren. First, Hajja Jamila Agzit (a member of the Friends of Toubkal National Park Association) showed the students slides, as she explained the important role of a tree in preserving the environment. Following several student recitals, HAF’s vice president M. Larbi Didouqen explained Sami’s Project and described the environmental and economic benefits of fruit trees, M. Rachid El Kouhen and his 10-year-old daughter Lina explained their objectives for this project, and then the Pasha joined them in planting the first tree.

The students were shown how to position, plant and water a tree. They all participated wholeheartedly and cooperatively, forming small groups to plant each tree under the careful guidance of agricultural technicians.

During the afternoon school session, the older students participated in planting more trees, and the planting continued over the next two days until all 300 fruit trees were planted.

As the photos demonstrate, the children worked hard to plant these new trees which will soon transform the empty sections of their schoolyard into a shady, nurturing environment, providing lessons and fruits for many years to come.

We invite you to sponsor Trees for Kids in memory of Sami or another beloved child.

See attached photo collage showing results.

Attachments:

Sami's Project launch photo collage (PDF)

1 Attachment

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