Famous for its “fog harvesting” project in southern Morocco, the nonprofit Dar Si Hmad for Development, Education and Culture also carries out other projects to build the capacities of local populations and provide educational training projects for young people.
The fog-harvesting project, in the Sidi Ifni region of southern Morocco, uses specially designed nets to capture water droplets suspended in the fog covering mountain peaks. The fog-water drips off the nets and is channeled into a filtration system, thus providing clean water to residents of areas suffering from severe water shortages.
The project is a boon for women in the region because it frees them from having to carry water long distances, and also provides jobs and training for them.
Development Projects
Established in 2010, Dar Si Hmad for Development, Education and Culture is run by Jamila Bargach, a cultural anthropologist, and her husband, Aissa Derham , a mathematician who holds a Ph.D. from Laval University in Canada.
Bargach studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat and obtained a Ph.D. in anthropology from Rice University in the United States. She has worked for several nongovernmental organisations in Morocco and abroad.
In the region, Bargach is nicknamed “The Bride of the Fog” in reference to a local Amazigh legend of a princess named Teslet who did her best to make rain to save her village from drought.
Over the past years, the fog-harvesting project has received numerous international honours, notably an Innovation in Sustainabilty award from the GoAbroad Foundation in 2017 and a Momentum for Change award presented at the COP22 Climate Summit in Marrakech in 2016.
Programmes for American Students
Fond of southern Morocco, Bargach believes that the region provides unique opportunities for students to learn more about the kingdom, especially in terms of how development projects are accomplished in complex and special contexts.
Many of Dar Si Hmad’s educational programmes center on the fog-harvesting project, Bargach told Al-Fanar Media. “This enables students to learn and develop their abilities through practical and field education.”
She added that the association receives students from American universities who come to southern Morocco. Over the years, it has hosted more than 54 student missions from different American universities.
The organisation provides these students with opportunities to meet with Moroccan students from Ibn Zohr University, in Agadir, and to participate in various educational programmes. These include the RISE Programme, the Ethnographic Field School and the Water School, as well as job programmes targeting women in rural areas.
Environment-Friendly Entrepreneurship
The RISE Programme aims to build capacities and promote environment-friendly entrepreneurship among students of colleges and higher schools in Agadir. The programme is a set of integrated workshops presented by experts, and meetings with employers, with the aim of exchanging experiences and creating opportunities for networking. Each participant is also required to have a project idea that benefits the local environment, besides the need to commit to attending all scheduled events.
The Ethnographic Field School promotes cross-cultural understanding and exchange through interpersonal interaction with local communities. During their time in southern Morocco, participants learn about local issues like sustainable practices in the argan oil industry , which employs many rural Amazigh women, or languages like darija (Moroccan Arabic) and Tachelhit (the local form of Tamazight).
The Water School programme is directed to students of rural schools in the Aït Baamrane region in southern Morocco. The programme is based on lessons inspired by local reality, with openness to other horizons and cultures. The Water School brings together volunteers, environmental trainers, and other partners. Everyone is committed to building a comprehensive and ethical foundation for the benefit of environmental education, the organisation’s leaders say.
Bargach says that the success of the fog-harvesting project motivated and inspired the educational programmes’ students. She adds that they are working to transfer knowledge to young people who are passionate about more work and innovation in searching for alternative sources of water and serving the environment in southern Morocco.
Skill-Building Experiences
Nadia El-Aissaoui, who holds a master’s degree in tourism and communication from Ibn Zohr University’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, worked in Dar Si Hmad’s Ethnographic Field School this year. She said the experience helped her develop professional skills. “I have benefited greatly from this experience,” she said. “I worked as a fixer (‘speaking partner’) for students coming from American universities to work on field research projects.”
The programme transferred her from university halls to field research, she said. “This experience enriched my professional path,” she added. “I learned a lot of things, such as focusing on tasks, time management, documentation, interpretation methods, besides exposing me to the American mentality and working ways.”
source/content: al-fanarmedia.org (headline edited)
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