Olive tree planting with 200 Moroccan families

This project is made possible through the High Atlas Foundation partnering with dedicated Peace Corps Volunteers Samantha Dinar and David Pesnichak, who live in and work with the community of Ait Wafqa, outside of Tafaraoute in southern Morocco.  Attached is the detailed proposal of the project, written by Samantha and Dave.   

This project will plant almost 1400 fruit trees including 250 endemic and endangered Argan trees, help stabilize the household water supply through the incorporation of an additional well (to a total of 2 wells for 800 people) to the Douar-wide water supply system and provide 42 cubic meters of additional waterstorage, increase both local biological and agricultural diversity, help control erosion, and provide revenue for both the local Development Association and the local women’s cooperative.

By focusing on basicin frastructure and education, this project will not only bring a necessary solar water pump and piping for irrigation and household water, but it will also provide trainings to men and women in the village on argantrees, solar energy and the use of drip irrigation in conserving water. Through the implementation of this basic infrastructure, this project will directly benefit the health and well being of the entire community in the form of a more secure household water supply that will help people adapt to seasonal and long-term climatic changes.

Further, this project, which is strongly supported by the Development Association, focuses on providing social and monetary benefits that will encourage ongoing literacy and other classes to the local women at the Neddi. Because the women of the Cooperative and Neddi understand that they will reap social, monetary and educational benefits from this project, they are hence vested in the success of this project and will play an integral role in both the trainings and implementation. In addition, as this project will aid in the long-term success of the Women’s Cooperative and Neddi it will, in effect, escalate the women’s self-confidence, independence and ability to govern and control their organizations and activities. In the end, rural women and children will not only benefit economically and socially but environmentally as well.

With the planting season from now until mid-March, now is the time to make this project happen, and we hope you will support it.

• Full proposal of Ait Wafqa tree planting project (PDF)