Cooperative Lfarah from Timahdit, Morocco

In their own words

Cooperative Lfarah is located in the town of Timahdit, which sits squarely in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The town is well known throughout Morocco as the rich fertile land is peppered with volcanic rock, which forms walls that separate fields from each other.

The name Timahdit means, "the safe one," and the inhabitants lived up to its name as it was one of the most challenging areas to control during the French colonization. Since the 1950's, the people of Timhadit have relied on agriculture and raising cattle. Starting in 2007, the women of Timhadit wanted to expand their sources of income and decided to form the cooperative.

8 Members

102 Pieces listed

The people behind every piece

Fatima Khaali

Fatima is one of the original founders of Cooperative El Farah and serves as its president. Fatima began weaving with her mom when she was only ten years. Over the years, she has developed her weaving skills and has continued to refine them at the cooperative. Fatima hopes that through her weaving she is able to provide enough income to support her two children since she is a single mother.

Zohra Azara

Zohra is a Timhadit native and grew up around artisan craft. As a child, Zohra lived with her grandparents and learned how to weave from her grandmother. The skills she learned from her grandmother have become her sole source of income. Prior to joining the cooperative, Zohra only sold to middlemen in the neighboring towns of Azrou or Gigou. This changed when the cooperative formed. With the help of Peace Corps Volunteers, Zohra and the cooperative was able to sell in exhibitions and even exported to the United States. Zohra hopes the cooperative can continue their momentum now that the Peace Corps Volunteer has left.

Zahra Nabil

Zahra is married and is a mother of two children. Zahra learned how to weave from his sister. Her sister was the first person to encourage Zahra to begin selling her work. Shortly after, Zahra joined the cooperative where she is able to earn income to support her self and and her husband. Zahra hopes that in the future, she'll be able to teach other women and girls how to weave in order to preserve the craft in Timhadit.

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