High Atlas Foundation
HAF equips Moroccan communities to be self-sustaining through fruit tree & carbon offset income and supports cultural heritage preservation.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The relationship between agriculture, women's empowerment, and multi-dimensional poverty in Morocco is one that goes largely unrecognised and unaddressed. Current climate conditions pose unprecedented and disproportionate risks to rural communities whose food pathways and livelihoods depend upon agricultural production. Human communities are central to these three concerns. For many farmers and farming communities, the risk of transitioning to new management practices can only be mitigated through a secure source of income during transition periods that may result in an initial decrease in crop yield. Thus, communities in the NENA region and, more broadly, in the global south are caught between the long-term risks of maintaining damaging ecological practices and the short-term risks of food insecurity and poverty.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Tree Planting
Our most widely-recognized projects integrate agriculture with irrigation, clean water, sanitation, and education. They result in women’s empowerment and communities with dependable food and income sources, green job opportunities for rural women and youth, and a pathway to the voluntary carbon market.
Women's Empowerment Workshops
Perhaps for the first time in their lives, we ask rural women to imagine the life they want to create for themselves. Through IMAGINE workshops led by highly trained facilitators, we provide a clear pathway for women to grow as leaders of their communities. We support their efforts to participate, contribute, and advocate for their local community through economic and social activities.
Clean Water
Access to water for drinking and irrigation is the most important issue for Moroccan communities, emerging as the highest priority in almost every discussion surrounding community needs.
By accessing new water sources and building water containment and delivery systems, we’re able to immediately improve infant mortality rates, increase girls’ participation in education, and expand agricultural production in areas most heavily affected by drought.
Cultural Preservation
We believe that sustainable development is inherently linked to cultural dialogue and preservation.
We restore buildings and burial sites, and preserve and digitize documents and photos of interfaith heritage. These cultural dialogue and preservation programs establish shared identities and histories, and often spark community interest and collaboration on projects that directly impact the present and the future.
Youth Programs
We support shared management of 15 nurseries that grow native saplings and medicinal herbs for distribution. These nurseries expand green employment opportunities for women and youth in rural areas. We teach environmental education workshops throughout Morocco and engage with students by hosting tree-planting projects at their schools and in their communities.
Carbon Solutions
Distributed to farmers, cooperatives, and schools, the trees we plant provide a pathway to the voluntary carbon market, merging ecological and social solutions in a financially viable, sustainable way. Carbon sequestration is key to restoring degraded land, adapting to climate challenges, combating desertification, and supporting stable food pathways.
Legal Aid
We have conducted experiential training workshops with students from eight Moroccan universities in participatory development and empowerment, legal aid delivery, and project management and evaluation since 2009. With an extensive network of partners, we seek to bridge the gap between academic study and community-based practice through facilitating community dialogues and developing university-based legal aid and advocacy programs.
Funding from the National Endowment for Democracy allowed two significant programs to take place: a legal aid program established with the University Hassan II in Mohammedia, and a legal aid clinic at the Faculty of Social, Legal, and Economic Sciences at the University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (FSJES-USMBA) in Fes.
Farmer-to-Farmer
A 4-year partnership with the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program promoted sustainable economic growth, food security, and agricultural development with Moroccan communities. We trained 620 people and provided free consulting to 75 host organizations – farmers, cooperatives, and small businesses.
Family Literacy Program
Funded by the EU, the two-year Family Literacy program took place in Marrakech-Safi and Beni Mellal-Khenifra. The project promotes literacy and numeracy skills for rural women and their children and provides a collaborative learning environment, awareness of legal rights, and expanded economic opportunity.
Earthquake Relief
On September 8, 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, significantly damaging homes and key infrastructure, destroying agricultural terraces, making roads inaccessible, and leaving (in some cases), entire villages leveled and without access to water, food, or medical care.
As a decades-long partner of communities in the High Atlas, we are uniquely positioned to provide relief as we join communities in the transition to long-term reconstruction. We are committed to rebuilding infrastructure for sustainability and resilience.
Where we work
Awards
Consultancy Status 2011
UNESCO
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Grants received between 2003 and 2017 from over 42 different donors
Number of media articles reflecting preferred issue framing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of articles published per year regarding HAF, our mission, and Morocco- and MENA-related sustainable development topics.
Number of testimonies offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of trees planted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Clean Water
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We envision a future where every Moroccan community is marked by structural social, environmental, and economic well-being, where agriculture regenerates degraded land while feeding communities; where women are honored and included in civil governance; where youth are deeply rooted in intergenerational relationships that promote cultural dialogue and preservation; and where the MENA region is leading the global movement for sustainable development and environmental restoration.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We believe in the power of community-led sustainability projects to strengthen social ecosystems and unite people to create lasting prosperity for Morocco, the MENA region, and the world.
We place women’s empowerment at the center of our agricultural projects, supporting pathways to social and economic well-being.
We believe in the stability of nature-based solutions. In order to be truly sustainable, communities must take the lead to develop, maintain, and expand their success.
Our sustainable development projects begin with an invitation from the community — every time. We believe that communities are the experts on their unique context.
We believe in partnerships where communities take the lead on identifying, implementing, monitoring, and adapting sustainable solutions.
We honor and protect the cross-generational cultural heritage of the diverse groups we work with, and we embrace innovation as a tool for continued community development.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
A Moroccan association and U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the High Atlas Foundation was founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development in Morocco. Their love of the Moroccan people and culture, and local communities’ vast potential to generate shared prosperity, are driving forces behind our work.
2004 marked the passage of a set of laws – the Moudawana family code – that gave a legal basis for women’s and girls’ rights in the traditional sphere. Seven years later, a new constitution was set in place by the Kingdom of Morocco, emphasizing decentralization and community-driven development as the foundation of ambitious social and environmental goals. These two legal accomplishments and their expansion, paired with a host of national development goals, paved the way for human-centered, rights-based development.
By providing a structured pathway toward the implementation of Morocco’s vision for sustainable development, we are able to collaborate with government officials on the local, regional, and national levels. Morocco is uniquely positioned as the ideal place for piloting programs that can be scaled and applied to a larger population: the MENA region and beyond.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Currently, we work with communities across Morocco on several active projects. Our 15 nurseries continue to produce more than two million saplings each year that support agricultural development in 50+ provinces.
Since 2003, we have planted over 5 million trees in partnership with farmers, cooperatives, and schools. We retain partnerships in our tree-planting sites and provide ongoing support, regularly monitoring trees to ensure successful, effective projects.
This rigorous monitoring system is integral to our carbon offset program. We are establishing a pathway for financial sustainability by linking smallholding Moroccan farmers to the voluntary carbon market, providing an avenue for reliable, diversified income that encourages sustainable land management practices.
Women’s empowerment is at the heart of everything we do, and every project begins with intentionally supporting women as they pursue personal and communal goals.
Since 2016, our projects have typically started with a community IMAGINE workshop that encourages and equips women to expand their confidence and self-agency while identifying personal goals and priorities. Nearly 3,000 women have participated in 200 workshops around the country. As a result, many participants have assumed key leadership roles in development projects.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
High Atlas Foundation
Board of directorsas of 12/01/2023
Mr. Harry Palumbo
Yossef Ben-Meir
President of the High Atlas Foundation
Bruno Mejean
Member of the Board
Ellen Paquette
Vice Chair
Harry Palumbo
Chair
Suzanne Moyer Baazet
Treasurer
Martine Roberts
Member of the Board
Chemsedine Sidi-Baba
Member of the Board
Lamia Fikrat
Member of the Board
Amine Alami
Member of the Board
Nizzar Ben Chekroune
Member of the Board
Ruth Huwe
Member of the Board
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/28/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.