Dar Si Hmad for Development, Education and Culture is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 2010 promoting local culture and sustainable initiatives through education and the integration of scientific ingenuity in Southwest Morocco. We operate North Africa's largest fog harvesting project, providing villages with access to potable water. Our Water School and Girls' E-Learning Programs build capacity in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Through our Ethnographic Field School, researchers and students engage with local communities in Agadir, Sidi Ifni, and the rural Aït Baamrane region for meaningful cross-cultural exchange.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

RISE Profile: Sara Ajdour

Nineteen-year-old Sara Ajdour was born in Agadir and is now pursuing a degree in English Studies at Ibn Zohr University.

It’s so important to get kids excited about learning new things early on because they will keep this mentality as they get older.

"I want to learn how to express my opinion no matter what, even if I agree or disagree. RISE has helped me develop my communication and public speaking skills. Meeting people with different mentalities and opinions has been helpful for me sharing my views with others as well as improving how I work in a team.

"I want to be a teacher because I love teaching, English, and kids! It’s so important to get kids excited about learning new things early on because they will keep this mentality as they get older. I want to make school a happy and fun place to come to every day."

Sara Adjour.JPG


To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook!  

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

RISE Profile: Abdellah Eidhaj

Abdellah Eidhaj studies at Ait Melloud. The 23-year-old was born in Essaouira and is passionate about community service and helping people.



"I have experience working in a local association that provides clothes and blankets to people in rural towns. I also assist in organizing mock exams to help students improve their studies and gain the confidence to succeed for their final exams. RISE is helping me develop the skills I have in working with people and helping others and apply what I have learned to reach my future goals.
"From the very beginning until now, I have always loved coming to RISE! I work full time at a shop, but I always try to find the time to come and enjoy the workshops and my friends at RISE."



To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook!  

Monday, February 22, 2016

Mother Language Day: Tamazight and Learning



In honor of the UN International Mother Language Day, we would like to offer some reflections on the significance of this day in Morocco, specifically how our work here at Dar Si Hmad advances this year’s theme: quality education, language(s) of instruction and learning outcomes. Tamazight is the mother language of many Moroccans. With its many regional dialects and varieties, the Tamazight language has significantly enriched Morocco’s diverse linguistic landscape.

The Amazigh people, or Imazighen, are an ethnic group and the indigenous people in the region of the Maghreb, including contemporary Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Despite being dispersed through this vast geographical region, the Imazighen understand that there is something that unites them as the people who lived in the region before the advent of Islam by the Arabs from the Arabian peninsula in the 7th to 12th century BC, a period known as the Islamic Conquests. In fact, the Maghreb region itself is referred to as Tamazgha in the Tamazight language, showing how the Amazigh diaspora has historically been bound together.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Berber_flag.svg/2000px-Berber_flag.svg.pngThe word Amazigh, literally meaning “free and noble men,” has been widely adopted by the Imazighen throughout the Maghreb region. While many people refer to Imazighen as Berbers, this term has been rejected by many due to the fact that it originates from the Latin word “barbarus” or “barbarian,” which was initially used by colonial powers to describe the ethnic group when they arrived in the region. If you are ever traveling around the Maghreb region, you will inevitably encounter the Tifinagh letter yaz, a symbol of national unity, painted over walls and across street signs. The letter yaz even appears on the Amazigh flag (pictured above). In recent years, the ancient Tifinagh script, with an alphabet that dates back centuries, has now been adopted by the Moroccan government to codify and popularize the language in public schools and administrations.

While written Tamazight is uniform, the spoken Tamazight language is as varied as the regions that the Imazighen come from. Although there is a standardized Tamazight language, there is still a great variety of dialects spoken throughout the Amazigh diaspora. For our purposes, we will focus on the three predominant dialects of Tamazight spoken in Morocco: Tarifit, Tamazight and Tachelhit, which are spoken in the northern, central and southern parts of the country respectively. Even within the regions in which these Tamazight dialects are spoken, there is linguistic variation, especially when considering the urban and rural forms of speech. The Tachelhit spoken in Agadir, where Dar Si Hmad’s offices are located, differs slightly from the Tachelhit spoken in Tiznit, which is located only an hour and half drive south. The Tachelhit varieties do, though, remain mutually intelligible by people within the region - not the case for the dialects across regions. Native Tachelhit speakers from Agadir often find it difficult to understand Tarifit speakers from northern cities such as Nador. The linguistic picture of the Tamazight language in Morocco is complex, but it ultimately is what makes the country so rich.

For years, Tamazight has been considered a marginalized language, especially following the Arabization of public administration in the period following the end of the French protectorate and Morocco’s independence in 1956. Many Amazigh activists have fought tirelessly to have their language and culture recognized by the Moroccan government, and an amendment to the Moroccan constitution in 2011, have given Tamazight an increasingly legitimate status in society. No longer relegated to being a language spoken primarily in homes and in mountainous rural areas, Tamazight continues to grow in usage, becoming a viable language of communication in which the educated and the illiterate alike are proficient. This was made possible through the work of vocal Amazigh activists who stressed how difficult it is to divorce Morocco of its Amazigh cultural heritage given its historical foundations in the country.

Currently, select primary schools in Morocco teach classes in Tamazight, but classes rarely continue past the primary level. By the time students reach secondary school, most classes are taught in Modern Standard Arabic or French, depending on the area of study. The Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences at some Moroccan universities provide students the opportunity to specialize in Amazigh studies, as is the case at Agadir’s Ibn Zohr University. In the world of academia, this has lead to a period of heightened interest about Amazigh culture and national identity, resulting in more academic publications and cultural preservation efforts.

Dar Si Hmad recognizes and celebrates Tamazight as a Moroccan mother language through a variety of our programs. Our Water School educates young Moroccans from rural primary schools in the mountainous region of Ait Baamrane, who are direct beneficiaries of our innovative Fog Project, on water usage, ecological sustainability and environmental conservation. To ensure that the program is accessible to students, all of our sessions are taught entirely in Tachelhit.

In addition to making the course content accessible to our students, teaching our sessions in Tachelhit has made the concepts we convey to our students more understandable because there is no language barrier to prevent their understanding. As a result, our Water School participants have been able to translate the skills they learn in our sessions to their daily lives without the need to work in two languages.

In addition, Dar Si Hmad’s Ethnographic Field School (EFS) program, which hosts international researchers and students to study Morocco’s diverse cultural, linguistic and environmental landscape, provides Modern Standard Arabic, Moroccan Darija and Tachelhit language classes to those who are interested in engaging with locals in their native tongue. EFS students have remarked that an exchange of only a few words in Tachelhit goes a long way when forging relationships because it has shows initiative to go the extra mile to speak the native language and explore the nuances of local cultures. Next time you’re in town, try greeting local contacts with a friendly “Azul!” (Hello!)

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Seattle University students learn Tachelhit through Dar Si Hmad’s Ethnographic Field School program


Thursday, February 18, 2016

RISE Profile: Fatima-Zahra Finti

Ibn Zohr English Studies major Fatima-Zahra Finti was born in Agadir twenty-four years ago. She's one of RISE's aspiring journalists.



"I participated in an intensive journalism workshop with GlobalGirl Media to learn more about how to interview people and share their stories. I realized that I love journalism, but I am facing a big dilemma because it it is very hard to pursue this profession in Morocco. I’m hoping to work at a human rights NGO that deals specifically with the refugee crisis, which will allow me to use my interest in journalism to put a face on the refugee situation. By giving refugees a voice, maybe I can help make a change. 
By giving refugees a voice, maybe I can help make a change. 
"My favorite thing about RISE has been figuring out how to reinvent myself and create my future. RISE has helped me strengthen my leadership and communication skills as well as get to know new faces and hear the perspectives of others. I love meeting people from different backgrounds who think differently than I do."


To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook  

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

RISE Profile: Youness

Happy Tuesday from Dar Si Hmad! It's time to meet another RISEr.

Youness Boussaid is a twenty-year-old Agadir native studying at Ibn Zohr.


"I applied to RISE to hone my professional and personal skills. My favorite session so far has been learning how to use technology to build my network.

"Before RISE, I always thought I would be a teacher or professor. After doing the professional development module, I learned that there are more options out there for me. 
"It expanded my vision about the job market, and I learned a lot about myself. 
"One day, I want to create a center for providing resources and activities for underprivileged communities to promote cultural openness."


To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook

Thursday, February 11, 2016

RISE Profile: Jamila

"RISE has helped me see my future as more of a journey instead of an end goal."
 
19-year-old Jamila Kadi was born in Agadir and is now exploring Spanish Studies at Ibn Zohr University.

Through RISE, Jamila said 
"I learned that if I am patient and I work hard, I can achieve whatever I want.
"This is my first year studying at university, and I am so glad I started RISE now. I am learning more about how to develop myself professionally and apply what I have learned in the classroom to the real world. Meeting new people and hearing about their experiences has been really important for me in thinking about what I want to do in the future. I love Spanish, and right now I’m interested in working in the tourism industry to show off Morocco. RISE has already given me the tools to figure out how to take risks and get to the next level after I graduate from university."
 


To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

RISE Profile: Youssef


This is Youssef Ouamamou, a 22-year-old from Ouarzazate in southwest Morocco.

Youssef is studying English at Ibn Zohr University, where he is particularly interested in linguistics and journalism.

When we asked Youssef why he wanted to participate in our US-MEPI RISE program, he said "I applied to RISE because as its name suggests, I wanted to rise to the challenge of improving myself and to prepare for the real world after university. My favorite thing about RISE has been meeting so many different types of people with different goals and dreams. I have realized no matter our differences, we are all human beings that have the same ability to achieve whatever we want for ourselves. I am so glad to participate in a program like RISE because it is helping me plan for the future and see that if I take personal initiative, I can be all that I want to be."



To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook

Friday, February 5, 2016

RISE Profile: Fatima

Over the next months, we will be introducing the amazing young Moroccan leaders participating in our US-MEPI-funded RISE Program.

Kicking off our series, meet twenty-year-old Fatima Ait Ali. Fatima was born and raised in Agadir and is completing a degree in English Studies at Ibn Zohr.

"I want to be a schoolteacher because I love kids, and I believe there’s a lot to learn from them. One day, I hope to establish an educational association for children who don’t have a lot of opportunities. I want to change their mentality towards school and make them excited to learn and explore the world. Through RISE, I am meeting others who share the same interests in teaching and working with kids. It’s been great making friends who are passionate about education!"

Fatima Ait Ali.JPG 

To meet other RISE participants and hear about their work building personal and professional capacities, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Announcing the RISE Profiles

Our US-MEPI RISE Program equips young people in Agadir with personal and professional competencies that enhance their employability and entrepreneurship potential. Today, we announce a new campaign to introduce you to our RISE participants. Each week, we will spotlight some of our fabulous students, giving you the chance to meet young Moroccan leaders. Join us to hear how Dar Si Hmad is making a difference in people’s lives and how these young people plan to shape the future. 


Help us build our online community - stay tuned to hear from and share wisdom from our RISErs!  

Facebook: facebook.com/darsihmad
Twitter: twitter.com/darsihmad
Instagram: instagram.com/darsihmad
Flickr: flickr.com/darsihmad