Empowering Women for Democratic Participation

On the second day of the workshop, the empowerment leader was conducting an exercise related to Personal Power. The women had to close their eyes and imagine themselves in different rooms with different themes; then, they were requested to open their eyes and draw what they had imagined. One of the rooms is called A Room of Love, and there was this particular participant, Siham,  who loves her husband and her four children. However, they were not with her in the imaginary room. Instead, she drew herself around a lunch table and was surrounded by her parents and siblings, with loads of red hearts above them all. 

Later on, she explained that she misses her family and doesn’t get to see them often although they live in the same commune. She clarified that her husband doesn’t allow her to use public transportation and that he prefers to take her to wherever she wants to go, but he gets super-busy with work and doesn’t find time to drop her at her parents’ place. The facilitator suggested that she invite her mother to her house so she can get to spend time with her. She also advised her to have a wise and calm discussion with her husband over the matter to find suitable solutions for both. She mentioned that she loves her husband and he loves her back and that he is taking care of her the way he should, but it has always been a question of the Rif (Moroccan’s northern land) culture, where men are tough and strict when it comes to certain matters that concern the females in their families.

Siham further explained her drawing to the empowerment facilitator and said that even though she loves her husband and children, the last time she felt the warmth of love was before getting married. She continued explaining that she invests much time in making the family’s food and has to serve it separately. Her mother-in-law is a person with a disability and can’t leave the bed; therefore, she has to serve her food in her room.

She went on to say that when her husband arrives home, she serves him his food separately so as not to bother his comfort, and then comes the children's turn to be fed. When it is Siham’s turn to eat, she explains, she finds herself exhausted and with no appetite to eat alone. The empowerment facilitator thought that Siham does all this upon the request of the strict husband but her thoughts were wrong. 

Since the first day of her marriage, Siham thought that it would be better to go for that eating process because she thought it was better for everyone. Today, Siham does not like this situation anymore and she wants to change it, but little did she know that the solution is in her hands. The facilitator suggested that Siham could feed her mother-in-law first, and then gather around one table with her husband and children. The solution was this simple, but Siham convinced her mind on the first day that things should be done differently so that she could not find this solution. 

Siham’s eyes sparkled with joy when she imagined herself with her husband and children gathered around the lunch table.

It’s hard to not talk about how much the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted our dependence on social media. For a time it was one of—if not the only—place where people were able to come together and share time with the people about the things they love. Businesses took notice of this, and if they weren’t all-in on social media and its importance in reaching consumers before, they definitely are now.

Without the right tools for harnessing the power of social media to grow a business, it can seem daunting, even for those who are familiar with the larger platforms. That is why the High Atlas Foundation has made it a priority to get these tools into the hands of women-led cooperatives throughout the Marrakech-Safi region. One of the largest cooperative sectors in Morocco is the argan oil trade. Argan oil is mostly known for its moisturizing qualities, but it also has uses for cooking as well. Through interactive workshops and online training, volunteers and team members are helping women’s cooperatives establish a crucial online presence in a crowded argan oil market.

E-marketing, through social media in particular, has shown promise and has proven to be a resourceful tool for women’s cooperatives. Most rural cooperatives rely on word of mouth to generate traffic through their store. If one has the right connections, they can sometimes get their products into a larger market in a nearby city. In workshops provided by the High Atlas Foundation, these women-led argan oil cooperatives have created online stores and social media pages and have learned how to reach an audience outside of their town and local market.

Cooperatives everywhere understand the importance of expanding their reach through e-marketing. With a focus on e-commerce through social media integration, women-led cooperatives in rural Eastern Europe reported an 86 percent increase in sales, and 93 percent forged new partnerships over a two-year period. These new partnerships could serve to be especially useful to some argan oil cooperatives in the Essaouira Province, which also rely on selling their raw materials to larger companies to make products like shampoos and beauty products.

Social media can serve as a crucial tool for cooperatives in marketing their products. However, just as important is creating an online presence that people can trust and relate to. This is best understood through the words of Jayen Mehta, Senior General Manager of the marketing team behind one of India’s most successful milk cooperatives, “Don’t be an advertiser. Be a content creator.”

An effective e-marketing campaign can include content such as stories, positive customer reviews, and recipe ideas. Staying relevant and switching up social media content while keeping a clear goal can help to create engagement between the cooperative and its followers. These principles were reinforced through High Atlas Foundation’s coordinated training at two argan oil cooperatives in the Essaouira Province this October.

E-marketing can increase the capacity to reach new markets and create new partnerships to help grow an argan cooperative. With a higher demand for argan products, we would expect to see a greater need for more women to join and work at a cooperative. As echoed by a former HAF volunteer, the unemployment rates among young women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are 80% higher than that of young men. This is compared to the average gender differential of 20% worldwide. An attainable goal to strive for in conjunction with the continuous e-marketing workshops and support from HAF is to close the unemployment gap between men and women in the Essaouira Province.

COVID-19 made it clear that having a strong e-marketing presence is crucial to the success of a business. The High Atlas Foundation has a commitment to teaching these e-marketing skills to the women-led argan cooperatives of the Essaouira Province. Skills learned at these workshops can translate into reaching a larger consumer audience, developing new partnerships, creating a positive brand image, and empowering women in local communities. Continued e-marketing workshops would only continue to strengthen these communities and benefit the economy as a whole.