After our recent Othello Odysseys, post devastating earthquakes, we wanted to support and give back to a fabulous country and people.
A year ago, we pledged $10,000 AUD. Today, we doubled it and donated $20,000 AUD to the High Atlas Foundation.
The High Atlas Foundation
Following our end of 2023 Custom Othello tour, which saw us riding in a country recently devastated by an earthquake (Read a guide’s view of that trip here), we were determined to find a way to help these magnificent, resilient people. It took a while to find the right not for profit and we explored many avenues to ensure the money would go directly to the people most in need. The High Atlas Foundation (HAF) is exactly this having worked supporting Morocco for 25 years.
Projects include:
Agricultural projects (70% of Morocco’s GDP is from Agriculture) in the Atlas Mountains (terracing was devastated by the earthquake), collaborating with farmers, civil associations, and cooperatives to reconstruct and expand agricultural terraces critical to livelihood. Riders, remember those mountains (and yes rough roads!) through Ourigane, Asni to Ait Ourir, this where much of this is happening.
HAF also has 15 nurseries, which produce more than two million saplings each year that support agricultural development in 50+ provinces and multiple clean water projects in the areas we rode through, especially in the High Atlas, post earthquake.
The lingering effects of the September 2023 earthquake in the High Atlas mountains, combined with the broader socio-economic challenges many participants face, mean that the demand for psychosocial support remains high. HAF runs workshops and training to consolidate resources, disseminate knowledge, and collaborate towards shared objectives, especially for women as leaders in remote communities.
and so much more….
