Clean Drinking Water for 1250 Villagers in Morocco

UPDATE: Clean Drinking Water System Planning and Implementing in the Zaouit Village

Their participatory planning process has transitioned from planning to implementation of a village-based clean drinking water system in the village of Zaouit in the Tifnoute Valley, which was a project identified during an experiential training program in facilitation of participatory community planning. The project is locally driven, the community provided the labor in kind for implementation, and Global Visions agreed to fund the purchase of materials. The fact that the training process is resulting into a vital human development project, further built the skills of 3 facilitators by being involved in continuing aspects of the project development cycle. 

By giving the people of Zaouit and the field facilitators the opportunity this program provides to plan projects and develop skills, a vital human necessity (clean drinking water) is being addressed.  According to official data, water access in rural areas in Morocco increased from 14% in 1995 to 77% in 2006, while survey data from WHO and UNICEF for about that same period showed that access to house connections increased from 10% to 20%, and access to an improved water source remained constant at 58%.  A plausible way to explain the seeming inconsistency in this data, which is also consistent with HAF’s observations in the field, is the following: the majority of rural Moroccan villages experience relatively modest advances toward building a complete potable water delivery system from existing water sources. This explanation certainly applies to the villages of the High Atlas Mountains, and the communities with whom HAF currently partners in 6 provinces in different parts of Morocco.  Unhealthy drinking water causes frighteningly high infant mortality (many families in the High Atlas have lost two or more children to water-borne diseases), shorter life spans and reduced energy for livelihoods.  Further, time spent to procure non-potable water (in addition to fuel wood) is a hard burden on women and girls, which prevents their participation in education.  A 2001 World Bank survey showed that girls’ enrollment in school increased 16% in communities that benefited from the installation of clean drinking water systems.  

— April 2012

As part of HAF’s partnership with the Organization of the Moroccan Community in the United States (OMC-US), the High Atlas Foundation is facilitating participatory planning meetings in Zaouiat Cheikh and the Ait Oum Elbeikht communes, in the region of Ben-Mellal. Initial meetings since January 2012 were held at the social municipality club, and in recent weeks with community members in their gracious homes and villages.

The purpose of these gatherings of local men and women is for them to identify the types of projects they would like to implement in their community to achieve their socio-economic and environmental goals. The meetings have been wonderfully enthusiastic and interactive. People are listening carefully to each other, and acknowledging everyone’s needs and interests.

Community members are continuing to hone in on the specific project priorities, which are in the areas of irrigation, handicrafts and education (including literacy). Several people recommended that if these participatory planning activities were carried out by facilitators in every local Moroccan community, then the development would be more truly democratic. We totally agree.

All of us at HAF are very grateful to Dr. Abdelkader Abbadi and the entire OMC-US Board for believing in and financially supporting development projects by and for the people of Zaouiat Cheikh, which will soon be entering the project implementation stage.

It is wonderful that all HAF community, civil, corporate and government partners are real supporters of this premise – that community participation drives project sustainability. HAF’s programs make participation in development a reality for many Moroccan communities and groups, who are marginalized.

March 2012

According to a February 2012 report by HAF Project and Training Manager Abderrahim Ouarghidi, participatory planning meetings have been held in 19 separate villages and attended by a total of 800 villagers. Over time, and after completing the multiple planning processes of mapping and discussing, it became clear that a small health center with a nurse is long overdue to serve this region of 10,000 inhabitants. Participants all felt that this would almost immediately improve the women’s health and that of their children by providing much-needed medical advice and follow-up care.

The discussion brought out a pronounced recognition of the need for clean drinking water (for health reasons) as well as irrigation systems that will ensure available water for the survival of their crops during drier periods. 

In this region, the natural floodings and resulting erosion caused by spring thaw and heavy rains during winter months threaten the local terrain, while in drier periods, water levels often drop too low in reservoirs used for irrigation. 

As often happens, in this case, an attempt to identify a solution to one problem revealed other, equally important problems that need solutions as well, so that in order to succeed, the final project needs to incorporate them all.

The High Atlas Foundation and its partners are now begining to implement a clean drinking water system in the Zaouit village (150 people) in the Taroudant province of Morocco. This project is being made possible by a grant of approximately $2,000 from Global Visions for the purchase of materials, and the people of Zaouit providing their labor in-kind.  Please support expanding to other rural Moroccan communities this vital life-saving initiative.  

We are happy to report that the High Atlas Foundation have successfully completed the implementation of the clean drinking water system with the village of Ouanfssiwen, in the Tifnoute Valley. Ouanfssiwen, is one of the villages that are in drastic need for clean drinking water. We have included photos of the project with this update and will follow-up soon with photos of the clean drinking water project in the other villages. Thank you for your support and we look forward to update you on our progress!