Women's Empowerment in Africa

Dear Friends,

Across six cooperatives in the Al Haouz Province and Mohammedia, the High Atlas Foundation's women's literacy program is gaining momentum, and so are the 104 women at its heart.

Before classes launched, instructors from cooperatives in Tameslouht, Talat N'Yacoub, Aghbar, Tafza, Ourika, and Al Riham completed a Training of Trainers workshop covering adult learning methods, bilingual instruction in Arabic and Amazigh, lesson planning, and participatory teaching. The goal: equip educators to meet women where they are.

LEARNING IN MOTION
Classes are now underway at all six cooperatives. The curriculum blends foundational reading and writing with numeracy, communication, and practical life skills, all connected to the everyday situations women navigate at home, in their communities, and within their cooperatives. Scheduling has been kept flexible to work around household and economic responsibilities, including ongoing recovery efforts in some areas.

Early sessions have focused on building confidence alongside skills. Women have shared their own motivations for enrolling: reading the Holy Quran, using a mobile phone independently, understanding documents before signing them, and showing up more fully in their cooperative roles. Those goals are shaping the learning.

Looking to the Past and Future
The program draws upon HAF's long-standing experience implementing the Family Literacy program throughout Morocco, funded by the #European Union. In recent years, HAF has established 20 literacy classes serving 400 women in 20 villages across the Marrakech-Safi region, as well as 20 additional literacy classes serving 400 women in 20 villages across the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region. These experiences demonstrated an important lesson:

Literacy is most effective when combined with empowerment, participatory learning, cooperative strengthening, and practical life skills that improve women's social and economic opportunities.

Building on these lessons, the current literacy initiative seeks not only to improve reading, writing, and numeracy skills but also to strengthen women's leadership, confidence, communication, financial literacy, and participation in cooperative management and local decision-making. By integrating literacy with empowerment and economic development, HAF aims to create lasting improvements in household well-being, children's education, cooperative sustainability, and the resilience of rural communities.

Sincerely,

Fatima Zahra Laaribi

Lead Empowerment Trainer

High Atlas Foundation