By Dr. David T. Gortner & Heather VanDeventer | HAF Visitors
We are so grateful for our time with the High Atlas Foundation and its supported projects. What amazing, powerful, life-changing work the Foundation is doing!
We are two priests of the worldwide Anglican Church. We had a nine-week sabbatical journey through Mediterranean countries to see the interaction and relationship between the Abrahamic faiths, in history and in current life. In June and July, our journey took us through Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Albania, northern Greece, and North Macedonia.
As we prepared for our journey, we discovered the work of the High Atlas Foundation, along with other organizations and religious communities across the country. The people at HAF responded warmly to our interest. Fatima was incredibly helpful in coordinating schedules with us and in connecting us with other organizations. And that was just the beginning of a wonderful experience with HAF and their partner cooperatives.
Our scheduled trip to Akrich and Achbarou began at HAF headquarters. Yossef Ben-Meir welcomed us warmly and generously shared time with us in conversation, to learn more about us and to share more about the story of HAF and his own experience building and shaping this organization. Yossef is wise, kind, deeply dedicated, and self-giving.
Through Yossef's work at creating a shared culture around a common purpose, HAF brings together people who are ready to offer their own dedication, passion, and desire to make a difference in the world. Everyone we met, even short-term students, showed warmth, commitment, quiet passion and care.
The staff member who was our guide and companion for the day, Mariam, was amazing. What an incredible young woman. She helped us understand and experience the deep, life-changing work that is happening in the cooperative initiatives in Akrich and Achbarou -- certainly among the women involved, and also among their husbands and families. Mariam leads and accompanies with the full strength of a unified head and heart.
What we heard about the IMAGINE conference workshops for women was amazing. We heard directly from Samira, a participant, about the life-changing power of these workshops. It is not only her individual life that has changed. Samira has risen in leadership in her village cooperative through her gentle, warm, embracing, and encouraging strength. Her community -- both women and men -- has changed in deep ways because of her new way of being and leading.
The High Atlas Foundation is taking on the pressing challenges of environmental care and social care and development, together, in very practical, down-to-earth, stepwise attainable ways. Their mission brings them into full support of efforts for inter-religious cooperation and partnership that is an expressed desire and goal by Morocco's royal leadership.
Again, we are incredibly grateful for HAF responding to our interest and sharing the soul of their work with us. We are sold on their mission and work. We will be encouraging people in our religious and civic networks to support their work, and we look forward to helping develop partnerships with them.
Peace be with you all!
The Rev. Dr. David T. Gortner and The Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer
Priests of The Episcopal Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion of Churches
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