Pile Knot Rug

Fatima Haddash

When Fatima Haddash was young, her family picked up from the southern village of Tinghir and moved to Oued Ifrane. Despite her distant roots, everyone in her village now affectionately knows her as ‘mama.’ Fatima knows how to make all the types of carpets that Association Nahda creates. With every carpet she sells, she hopes to use the money to invest it in the future of her eight children and many more grandchildren.

Naima Mehboub

Naima Mehboub was born just a few kilometers outside of Oued Ifrane. She is married to a day laborer who works in agriculture and construction. Naima and her husband currently have three boys and one girl. Many women in the village know her as a fun person and super easy going – characteristics of a great weaving partner. Naima is currently studying basic math, reading and writing at classes provided by a local association.

Hanan Sadaoui

Born in 1980 in Kasr Moui, in the region of Errachidia (28km away from Goulmima). Hanan Sadaoui moved from her hometown to Khemisset with her family and learned how to weave from her mother. When she got married, Hanan moved with her husband to his village (Oued Ifrane) where she joined the association he founded for the local weavers. Hanan is the proud mother of two, a boy and a girl and she hopes to develop her weaving skills and help her husband in developing opportunities for their local communities.

Sadia Bakhalk

Sadia is a native of Oued Ifrane and has lived in the village her entire life. She is married to a butcher and has two young boys. She has been involved with the association since 2011 and knows how to make each type of carpet the association produces. With the money she earns for her sales, she wants to invest it in her family and perhaps build a house for her family.

aicha mhdaoui

Aicha Mehdoui was born in Oued Ifrane and specializes in all the products that the association produces. She hopes to use her income with the sales to build a new house in the village.

Aicha Mehboub

Aicha Mahboub is the youngest sister of Naima Mahboub. At 46 she has never been married or attended to school. She learned weaving from her mother and after seeing the success her sister has encountered at the association, she joined soon after. She wants to help her widowed mother with the household expenses since all her brothers got married and have left home to build their own homes.

Nbarcha Bally

Nbarcha Bally is 33 years old and married from Oued Ifrane. She is the mother of a son and a daughter. She has learned weaving like most of the local women from her own mother since an early age. She is a hard worker and puts long hours to help her husband with their household expenses and their children’s education. She joined the association not only to help her family but also to develop her skills by attending the training sessions for horizontal and vertical weaving.

Fatima Hafsi

Fatima Hafsi was born in 1969 in Oued Ifrane. She is married and has two daughters. She has recently joined the association but has known weaving for a long time, learning it from her mother. She attended school until the third grade in primary school only. From her experience, she wishes to teach the young girls who are dropping out of school nowadays how to weave in order to give them purpose but also to pursue the transmission of her craft and make sure it doesn’t disappear.

Rabha Houari

Rabha Houari was born in 1979 in Oued Ifrane and has managed to go to school until the sixth grade of primary school. She joined the association after her divorce in order to support herself and also to develop her skills together with the women at the association. She really wishes for her work to be recognised in the neighbouring souks for their quality.

Fatima Mahboub

Fatima Mahboub was born in 1970 in the outskirts of Oued Ifrane. She didn’t go to school. She married and had two sons and two daughters. She learned weaving from her mother and is among the women who have perfected the art of the Zamora and Zayane carpets. She really wishes to share her skills with other women in the association and teach them her specific techniques.