5000$ for ADF to transform the neighborhood of plastic into a neighborhood of dreams

AM 466 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

“Don’t tell me one single woman can’t change the world. If I had thought so, nothing would, indeed, have changed.” Faiza Hajji, Founder of ADF

Those are the words of Faiza Hajji, the driving force behind the Association du Docteur Fatiha (ADF). Faiza launched ADF in 2008 to bring sustainable development to her region while fostering women’s empowerment.

Today, more than 60 rural women receive a regular income thanks to ADF’s programs, more than 1.000 children have met ADF teams and were sensitized about environmental protection. This enabled ADF to collect and reuse more than 25.000 plastic bags, since its creation.

For Faiza, this is just the beginning. What’s next for ADF has never been done before in Morocco: Transform the impoverished community of “Douar el Mika–” the “neighborhood of plastic bags–” into the site of an innovative mega-center dedicated to spurring a local green economy. The project is called “Dar al Amal,” which means House of Hope in Arabic and is slated to be a beacon of hope in any area where many people feel their options are limited.

“Douar el Mika is one of the poorest areas in Berkane. Full of young people feeling angry about being born in a place that left them so little choice about their future. They have this special energy that makes for great change-makers. We simply need to give them a chance.”

[See the plans of Dar al Amal here]

Dar al Amal will:

Create jobs in a region where the unemployment rate may reach 19,6%
Host and train young Moroccan entrepreneurs dedicated to sustainable development and social change through its young entrepreneur incubator program
Lead research efforts to develop innovative income-generating activities for impoverished rural women and generate fresh ideas to address ecological issues of the region
Provide impoverished populations with a free access to cultural events and learning opportunities organized in a new community center and library
Offer a safe and healthy environment for local population to live and work
Foster women’s empowerment through professional trainings and literacy courses
Develop and pilot new income-generating activities, based on waste reuse
Be a self-sustaining model of a smart, green, eco-friendly, traditional, and inexpensive architecture

Why we need $5,000?

Thanks to our generous institutional backer, Legallais Foundation, ADF has been able to launch the feasibility study with the award-winning Moroccan-Canadian architect Aziza Chaouni, who specializes in green and sustainable architecture.

ADF is now ready to move into the materials research phase of this project. Our goal is to not only build Morocco’s first center for the environment and green jobs, but to also build a center that models environmental responsibility in the use of its building materials. Our goal is to build Dar al Amal completely from local and/or recycled materials that showcases traditional Moroccan architecture. This is fundamental as we want the center to be built with local and/or recycled materials. With your help, we can complete our research phase of materials that will ensure that Dar al Amal is built with the most effective, efficient, and energetically passive materials.

One woman has changed her community. Imagine what a crowd could do?

ADF dedicates this project and works tirelessly for all of the dynamic young people who can’t find a job and who want to build a better future for themselves; for all of the impoverished young people who have ambition but no means to envision a different future from their parents’. For every man and woman willing to contribute to the improvement of their life and their environment, or willing to act for their community, we stand united and ready to create change with you.

We thank you for joining us to put in place the foundation stone to a center, The House of Hope, that will give young people the opportunity to explore their dreams and potential, interrupt the intergenerational cycle of poverty, and set the standard for a green economy in Morocco. With you standing by us in support, we know that we can transform the neighborhood of plastic into a neighborhood of dreams.

GIVE NOW ON GIRLTANK.ORG

Phase 1: ongoing!

AM 459 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

The Association du Docteur Fatiha has been working on this for a while: Dar al Amal. Thanks to the support we got from Legallais Foundation, we can at least show you its content.

ADF team in Morocco is buzzing. Legallais Foundation decided to support our brand-new project: building a big urban center, dedicated to a green and social economy. Named “Dar al Amal”, which means House of Hope in Arabic, the center will actively create green jobs and spread an ecological culture. Click here to know more about our project.

This corporate foundation, created in 2010, acts everyday to foster sustainable development and social responsibility. It was therefore delighted with our project and will fund its very 1st phase: feasibility study and drawings realization.

ADF launches the feasibility study

Mehdi Achour, General Director of ADF in Morocco and Elise Vanweydeveldt, Communications Manager, went to Fès on the 29th of April, to meet the architect team they are working with on this. Aziza Chaouni and Johann Petersmann could ask them plenty of questions about the way the center should be conceived. Built out of natural or recycled materials, the center aims at being a model of a smart, energetically efficient, environmental-friendly and cheap architecture.

Aziza Chaouni, Mehdi Achour and Elise Vanweydeveldt

To put in place the foundation stone, we need you!

To help ADF fund Dar al Amal construction, we need every single one of you. To give young Berkanis a chance to commit themselves to their city and their community. To support women’s work and empowerment. To bring a global response to the environmental issues of the region, especially the proliferation of polluting waste. To give the will to build differently, more efficiently, more environment-friendly. To bring hope to a city that is falling asleep on its misery.

To give 25$ or 1.000, connect to Girltank

You can’t? Support our project differently, in sharing the information.

In the name of all those young people and women from Eastern Morocco, who need an open door, THANKS!

4 facts to know about ADF

AM 489 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

It’s time to take stock on ADF’s activities for the past few years.

25 000 plastic bags have been recycled

Plastic bags that have been collected and then cleaned

4 cooperatives of impoverished women have been trained to our special weaving technique

This represents more than 100 rural women

Training in Chouihiya, Morocco

350 children have been sensitized to environmental issues between January and May 2013

Cleaning campaign, Ibn Zaydoun

2 collections of fashion accessories have been designed

You want to buy one of our gorgeous handicraft bags? Check our e-shop

Faiza Hajji’s profession of faith

AM 420 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

“Don’t tell me one single woman can’t change the world. If I had thought so, nothing would, indeed, have changed. But I never stopped believing that I could do something, with my own means, to improve the situation of my region of origins.

Picture this : an isolated Moroccan region and city, Berkane, where plastic bags follow the wind’s breaths and fly among people, cars and donkeys. When you live the city you are struck by the emptiness of its countryside…at first sight! Since, when you have a closer look, you notice that it is far away from being empty. You go on and meet so many people, shepherds, children, men… The time is like frozen : nothing moves, everybody waits. For what? A taxi to go to the city, a bus to go to school, or a little sun to warm up after a cold morning. Just waiting outside because nothing happens at home.

Actually you don’t really see women outside. They take care of the kids and of the house, cooking, cleaning up, weaving… When you come to know them, you realize their life has nothing to do with yours. You were the lucky one : born in Berkane in a family where girl’s education and independence was fundamental. Most of rural women in Eastern Morocco can’t read nor write. They barely went to school.

That’s when I got an idea : teach them how to weave alpha, a local plant, together with recycled plastic bags. Once graduated, I created the Association du Docteur Fatiha (ADF), from the name of my deceased mom, to empower women and fight for environmental protection. We gather rural women in cooperatives: they become a group which is trained and receives literacy courses. To provide them with the raw materials they need (i.e. plastic bags), ADF establishes collecting spots in the city and organizes awareness-raising campaigns in schools of the region. In that way, two issues are addressed in a raw, which creates a sound virtuous circle. This is for what I’ve been doing since 2008.

Formation des artisanes à Chouihiya centre

Today, it’s time for the association to step up. I want to build an innovative center, dedicated to promoting a local and green economy. It will be a place where hope is possible. For all those graduated and dynamic young people who can’t find a job and change country to try building a better future for themselves. For all those impoverished young people who have ambition but no means to envision a different future from their parents’. For every man and woman willing to contribute to the improvement of their life and their environment, or willing to act for their community.

For all those great people who need a little help to kick off their project or take charge of their own future, I want to build this place.

Find out more about Faiza’s venture and invest in her vision: http://girltank.org/campaigns/an-awesome-way-to-re-take-a-polluted-city-in-morocco/

Meet Wafa Chhiti, 10-years-old

PM 757 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

Meet our entrepreneurs-to-be from Berkane, Morocco.

VIDEO

Entrepreneurs-to-be from Douar el Mika

AM 463 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

Yesterday we met the entrepreneurs-to-be from Douar el Mika, Berkane. They have plenty of dreams and ideas to change their city and community. Let’s help us make their dreams come true !

Give a few $ for the construction of our urban center in Morocco.
-) http://ow.ly/kFx2z

Dar al Amal, urban center for young people and sustainable development in Berkane

AM 535 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

The Association du Docteur Fatiha started its activities back in 2008. After only 5 years implementing its programs, ADF scales up. The project: build an urban center, dedicated to a green and social economy.

Legallais Foundation decided to support our project and will fund the very 1st part of it: the case study and the drawings realization. With this first backer, the project can be launched!

Named “Dar al Amal”, which means House of Hope in Arabic, the center will actively create green jobs and spread an ecological culture.

Context

Morocco and the Eastern region, have to deal with a major employment issue. Young people have troubles finding jobs, even when graduated. However, so many things can be put in place here. The environmental situation is alarming.

Our solution

Every single young person should be part of the improvement of his city or community. In Berkane, they lack a personal support for them to create and manage their project. ADF wishes to build the capacities of young people willing to act, especially those from impoverished background.

The green center will create direct jobs (from the construction, center staff) and indirect ones (young project initiators, women benefiting from revenue-generating activities).

The construction

Dar al Amal will be built on a former landfill, set in the heart of an impoverished area, “Douar ell Mika” (the “neighborhood of plastic bags”).

This building will be a model of green architecture, in its construction but also in its management: energy savings, renewable energies, water management…

The architecture and materials from Berkane will be associated to sustainable and innovative construction methods, to international standards in eco-design. Recycled materials will be used as much as possible in the building, the design and interior furniture.

Using resources that can be considered as “waste” will pave the way to new building techniques, greener and more adapted to a sustainable development.

ADF wants to involve young people and local craftsmen in the center construction, for them to master new know-hows and to be able to transpose them.

The center’s ingredients

The building will be divided into several sectors, dedicated to specific activities:

•the meetings between involved populations;

•the support to young project initiators;

•cultural events on environmental issues;

•the research for good environmental-friendly practices;

•trainings to revenue-generating activities based on recycling processes;

•ecological leisure…

1. Offices and incubator

to host young Moroccan entrepreneurs, acting for sustainable development and social and solidarity economy

2. Community Center, lab for green ideas

It will provide the populations with work spaces, a library, free internet access. ADF will lead research to develop revenue-generating activities (for impoverished rural women) and bring alternatives to ecological issues of the region, as plastic bags pollution. ADF will also organize plenty of events to raise-awareness among young generations to environmental issues (workshops, debates, movies castings, etc.).

3. Organic café

which will also serve as a sales area for our handicraft products

4. Bed and Breakfasts

to promote eco-tourism the region and host regular projects visitors (designers), or artists

5. Public child-care center

6. Park and educational vegetable garden

7. Administration

8. Housing for staff

Dar Al Amal will quickly become an unavoidable place for community service and for social and green economy in Berkane and in the whole region.

It will also be a place where an alternative vision of leisure and environmental protection can be born.

To put in place the foundation stone, we need you!

To give 25$ or 1.000, connect to Girltank http://girltank.org/crowdfunding/campaigns/an-awesome-way-to-re-take-a-polluted-city-in-morocco/

You can’t? Support our project differently, in sharing the information.

In the name of all those young people and women from Eastern Morocco, who need an open door, THANKS!

A crowdfunding campaign for Dar al Amal

PM 702 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

Today, it’s the kick-off of our first crowdfunding campaign.

You need everyone to share our informations and help us fund our ambitious project, which will revolutionize green and social entrepreneurship in Berkane and in Morocco !

Stay tuned and have a look at this : http://girltank.org/crowdfunding/campaigns/an-awesome-way-to-re-take-a-polluted-city-in-morocco/

Check out our new project !

PM 706 UTCq, 2013
Posted by ADF

Faiza Hajji and the Association du Docteur Fatiha launched a their new project to spread their outreach in Eastern Morocco.

How would you react, if we told you that it’s possible to combine organic cultivation, social and green entrepreneurship, eco-tourism and awaireness-raising campaigns to environmental issues? For sure, you’d support us !

Let’s have a look at our brand-new video, to check out this project !

The Association du Docteur Fatiha

Use the environment as a driver for the local economy

Category Archives: Dar al Amal