Empowering Women in the Atlas is a Moroccan initiative dedicated to advancing the economic, social, and educational empowerment of rural women, particularly in the Middle Atlas region and beyond.
Empowering Women in the Atlas is, first and foremost, the story of a friendship and a human connection Lamia Bazir has built with the local women of a small village in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
The mission of Empowering Women in the Atlas is to invest in the leadership of rural women as a catalyst for rural development.
Through the participatory approach, Lamia supported rural women create their own local associations, build capacity, collaborate with partners, raise funds, create cooperatives and income generating projects and catalyze their leadership in favor of their communities and region.
To learn about our programs, visit our page :
Empowering Women in the Atlas – Development initiative for Morocco
This innovative model brings focus on rural women not as recipients of aid, but rather as actors of change; showcases the dividend of women’s empowerment in terms of collective development, and inspires youth to take action in favor of rural development.
Main ongoing projects:
1- The Hammam community center: A women lead project established through a participatory process for the women of the village of Adghagh. The project consisted in the construction of a sustainable solar powered, women- run multi service center that includes a health care center, a public bathhouse, an educational center, an administrative office for official documentation, and a women’s artifacts and carpet making workshop. the center is managed by the local women for the benefit by the whole community, more than 1500 people.
2-The Entrepreneurship program launched in september 2016 (MEPI US department of state funds) to train 100 women from the Middle Atlas region in financial autonomy environmental awareness, and entrepreneurship, and support them in developping their cooperatives and generating income through sustainable projects.
3- The Exchange Program for rural youth established with the Municipality of Tingvoll in Norway (EU Erasmus funds) enabling young girls and boys aged between 13-17 to leave the boundaries of their villages and travel abroad for the first time in order to discover another culture, build new friendships, discover the Norvegian education system, and get a training in solar energy that is implemented in the Hammam women led project in Adghagh.
4- The education campaigns: This program also includes the equipment of local schools and the organization of extracurricular activities and workshops for more than 600 children in villages.
