It’s that time of year where we have joy and thanks in our souls for the things, the people and most importantly the relationships we have around us.
During this season of joy, please consider a donation to Amalna Maroc! Our team is going into its 3rd year of life. We have learned and accomplished so much in such a short amount of time - turned research into action, connected cooperatives to online markets, launched a weaving experience for tourists and so much more! The team is bursting with joy and thanks as we think about the web of relationships that empower us to do the work that we do.
A couple weeks ago our web reached all the way to Washington, D.C.! Amalna Maroc, Arkhabil Association and Cooperative and Peace Corps Morocco had the privilege of hosting Carol Spahn, the Global Director of U.S. Peace Corps. She learned about the incredible work of the Arkhabil Association and Cooperative as well as the work we are doing here in Amalna Maroc. Carol sat alongside the weavers and learned how to weave various knots on the loom. They laughed and smiled as their energy fed off each other, inspiring everyone in the room.
New connections like these are possible because of YOUR DONATIONS, words of encouragement and in the ways that you are inspired (and maybe empowered!) by the work we are doing. We ask you to continue to donate to our cause and share our stories.
I want to take the time to share a story of empowerment, lessons and take-aways I have learned along the way that have taught me a better understanding of HOW empowerment is achieved and sustained - it’s WHY I keep coming back to Morocco.
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Fatima and I were looking over some of the rugs that the cooperative in the village Ait Yahya Oualla had woven over the past year, discussing different patterns and colors. Fatima mentioned to me that she was wandering through the rug section in the weekly market in Azrou. Every Tuesday in Azrou, vendors from around the region set up a pop-up market, selling everything from produce to home furniture to clothes. In one corner of the market, rug dealers are reselling Moroccan rugs at double or triple the prices that they paid to the weavers. Most Moroccans don't explore this section of the market, they focus on cheaper goods from China while unintentionally neglecting their traditional crafts. Fatima would usually never visit this section, but on this day she did, seeking inspiration for a future rug.
As we talked afterwards, she held up a small rug with blue diamonds and other symbols that she had made, saying, "You know, before we started this weaving cooperative, I never knew how to weave designs like this." As a young girl, she would watch her mother make more complex designs, but she stuck with the simple ones.
Later that night, lying in bed, I thought about what Fatima had told me. It hit me that a little over a year ago, Fatima had learned from Amalna Maroc about the possibility of generating income through weaving if she sold her rugs overseas. She asked Nora and me if we could help her and other village women start a weaving cooperative and sell their products abroad. In that time, Fatima transitioned from making simple rugs to creating 6 feet wide by 9 feet long rugs with many colors and complex designs. This led me to think about the reason why I came back to Morocco after my Peace Corps service.
Before starting this journey with Amalna Maroc, I always had the question spinning around in my head, "What does empowerment look like?" A former Peace Corps Volunteer who has been working with cooperatives for over 10 years told me, “Empowerment is just a buzzword. Power is something you have or don't have. It's something you can take." We discussed this in the context of income and cooperatives, with him stating simply that empowerment comes from income. As if empowerment is a simple math equation that one solves in order to move up the “ladder-of-success”.
Income = Empowerment?
Last fall, Nora and I held small group and one-on-one discussions with a weaving cooperative in the town of Ain Lueh. This cooperative was the first one in Morocco recognized by the Moroccan government. To say their work is incredible is an understatement. During our visit, they were working on a custom order with the clothing company Stussy's, their second time working with them. As discussions unfolded, they expressed interest in education, wanting to learn to read and write, as well as develop new skills like baking and sewing. Despite their success and an order worth over $60,000 USD, the main topic discussed was acquiring new skills. If income equals empowerment, why aren't these women solely focusing on weaving?
As Amalna Maroc grew, what I was told about empowerment no longer resonated with me. It didn’t match what I saw or how I perceived empowerment. It’s not the sum of a simple math equation to climb the ladder of success. Empowerment comes from a complex, beautiful web! It’s a Moroccan rug being pulled in different directions on a loom. It’s from women, men, children, culture, community, environment, education, and income… all woven together to help cultivate empowerment. It’s not and will never be a simple equation based solely on income.
This is why the cooperative in Ain Lueh has been taking literacy classes since spring and enrolled in baking and sewing classes offered by the association in Ait Yahya Oualla. This is why Fatima took on the challenge of starting a weaving cooperative and teaching herself to weave more difficult designs, and give life back into a craft that is dying. This is why Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn's smile and positivity had a big impact. This is why I look forward to Amalna Maroc in the coming year as we explore the different directions our loom will pull us in.
Illustration by Audrey Huetteman
HELP BE A PART OF OUR WEB AND DONATE THIS HOLIDAY SESSION!
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About Amalna Maroc: Amalna means “Our Hope” in Arabic. Our hope is to advance women’s development in Morocco. A primary focus of Amalna Maroc is to work with women’s cooperatives in Morocco, especially in rural areas, by providing education, resources and support that increase empowerment and economic opportunity for Moroccan women and girls.