Cooperative Nahda from Souq El Hed, Morocco

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.

Fadma Mehboub

Fadma Mehboub was born just outside of Oued Ifrane and lives independently in the village. She is currently studying basic math and writing at classes provided by the local association. Fadma knows how to make all the kinds of carpets Association Nahda produces and plans to use any income generated from her carpet sales to support herself.

Hafida Mehboub

Hafida Mehboub is known by the members of Association Nahda as a talented, hard working, and motivated weaver. Though she never attended school as a girl, her driven personality has landed her in math and literacy classes provided by a local association. She plans on investing the money she earns from Anou in her children.

Fatima Gourami

Fatima was born in Oued Ifrane and has lived in the village for most of her life. Despite the passing of her husband, she has survived and thrived because of her warm personality and incredibly positive outlook on life. Fatima is an integral member of Association Nahda because she is not only willing to try new things, but she is also willing to teach what she has learned to the other members.

Mustapha Chaouai

As one of the founding members of Association Nahda, Mustapha is the glue that holds together association. He can frequently be found gathering all the members of the association for meetings or other events in the community. Though he is an expert metal worker by trade, he is heavily committed to organizing the women in his village in order to empower them to become financially independent. Mustapha is also one of the founding members of Morocco's national association of artisans and has traveled extensively to craft fairs across the country. Mustapha is married to Hanan, an association member, and has one son and one daughter.

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.

El Kibera Tahiri

El Kibera Tahiri was born in Oued Ifrane and runs a small store that sells clothing to local villagers. El Kibera joined the association in 2012 and specializes in all the products that the association makes. She hopes that through her sales on Anou, she’ll earn enough money to organize a Moroccan craft fair in New York. In the future, she wants to become fluent in both French and English.

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.

Fatima Hajou

Fatima Hajou was born in Errachidia and moved to Oued Ifrane when her parents moved to the village for work. She never formally attended school but is a regular at a local association’s math and literacy classes. She has been involved with the association since 2011 and specializes in the btaniya and tazrbit carpets. Fatima is married and has two children, whom she hopes she’ll be able to support with the income she makes from her sales.

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.

Fatima Mahboub

Fatima Mahboub was born in 1963 in the Ait Aziz village and currently lives near Ifrane river. She is married and the mother of three sons and a daughter. She has never been to school but learned weaving from her mother since childhood as well as western dressmaking. She has never showcased her work in fairs but has joined Association Nahda recently to gain more exposure to the artisan and craft world.

Fadma Mehboub

Fadma Mahboub was born in 1972 in the outskirts of Oued Ifrane. Her family moved into the village to make it easier for her brothers to go to school although she didn’t get the same opportunity since she never enrolled. However, she got to learn to weave and has become a renowned Hanbal and Zamora carpet weaver. She has recently joined the association in order to help the women perfect their Hanbal technique and find a space where she can meet like minded women.

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.

Hlima najib

Salima Najib is among the latest recruits of the association. Born in Oued Ifrane in 1962, she is a widower, mother of two daughters and a son. She joined the association because she has no formal education but has learned weaving from her family.

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.

Zineb M3mri

Zineb was born in 1970 in Scheret in Ait Aziz Merert. She has never had the chance to attend school, but now is the mother of two girls and one boy. Her husband is retired from his work in the military, so it is her responsibility to support her family. Zineb learned weaving from her mother.

Zolikha laytoun

Zolikha was born in 1987, from AIt Bilhage Lehamamm near Zaouia Oued Ifrane. She is married and learned weaving from her family as a younger women. Now, she is attempting to become literate as part of a local literacy program. Her teacher is the secretary of association Nahda.

Samira Rhawi

Samira is 38 years old, is not married, and has attended school until the fourth form in primary school. She learned weaving from her mother who has been ill over the last three years. Because of sick mother, she was unable to join the association immediately, but is excited now that she is able to be part of the weaving community.

Naima azroial

Naima was born in 1974 in Sfrou, attended school until the 3rd grade, and learned how to weave from her mother. She is married to a cab driver from Oued Ifrane, which is why she moved there. Naima is part of the coop in order to support herself and her husband financially.

Fatima bokbir

Fatima was born in 1986 in Meritz, she is married and is the mother of a boy and a girl. Fatima learned how to weave from her mother as a young girl. Fatima is trying to improve her literacy through a local literacy program, and also is a member of the coop in order to support herself and her husband financially.

Hlima sbai

Hlima was born in 1967 in the community of Midelt. She learned how to weave from her mother and never has had the opportunity to attend school. She was married to a man from the local area but her husband divorced her because she was unable to have children. She remarried to a man who did not want children from her as she is his second wife supporting the children of the first wife who is ill. Hlima is a member of the coop to be productive with her time and show the other women her extensive skills in weaving.

Hafida hafsi

Hafida was born in 1979 in Oued Ifrane where she has lived her whole life. She is not married and has attended school through her second year of college. She is the treasurer of the association's sister, and learned weaving from her family members. She wants to create new designs for her carpets, creating new motifs that unique and original.

Hafida Caouai

Hafida was born in 1980 in Mou in Tedeghoust, and is the wife of Mustafa Shui's brother. Hafida learned to weave from her mother as a young girl.

Anana Mehdawi

Anana was born in 1972 in Ait Leus, Oued Ifrane where she has lived her whole life. She has never had the opportunity to attend school. Since she was a young girl, she has been shepherding her family's animals. She learned weaving from her mother. She was married, but her husband left her after he found out that she was pregnant. Now she raises her daughter by herself, and is intent on giving her daughter a full education. Both of her parents have passed away, so she alone provides financial support for her family. One of the women who created the Assocation is her sister, allowing her to be part of the coop community. In the past, she would just sell her products in the weekly market, and now she hopes to sell them to a larger online market place.

Meriam Amskini

Meriam is married and is the mother of one daughter. She was born in Ait Aziz and learned weaving from her mother as a younger girl. Meriam has never had the opportunity to attend school, and has been selling carpets in the weekly marketplace for many years. Every time she sells a carpet at the market place, she has to sell it at an incredibly low price, one equal to 5 dirhams or 50 cents a day in order to compete with other carpet sellers. Because of these low prices, she stopped weaving, feeling frustrated. She is a fantastic weaver in the traditional red carpets with black and white motifs, and now she has started weaving again as a member of the coop, hoping to increase her living standards through fair pay.

Rkia Fdoli

Rkia was born in 1977 in Ain Leuh and never has had the opportunity to attend school because it was too far from where she lived. She started working by trying to sell bread to the local grocers in Oued Ifrane, but also has had the skills of weaving that she learned from her mother when she was young. Now she is a member of the coop and is able to utilize her weaving skills.

Malikah Tahari

Malikah was born in 1962, is not married in Oued Ifrane where she has lived her whole life, and before the coop she has never worked. This is the first time that she has been able to earn her own autonomous income. As a young girl she learned weaving from her mother and her mother's friends. She has never been able to sell her products because of the exploitation of the middleman, and her hope is that she will be able to sell her products on international markets. She hopes that coops will be able to protect weavers from the exploitative practices of the middleman. Malikah also is now able to attend local literacy programs to improve her reading and writing skills.

Fadma Mahboub

Fadma was born in 1960 and is the mother to three children, two girls and one boy. Her husband is retired from the military and thus it is her responsibility to support her family. This is her second marriage, as her first husband died young. As a young girl she learned to weave from her mother. Her hope is that her products will be known on international markets.

Malikah Mahboub

Malika was born in 1978 in Scherat, learned weaving from her family and has never had the opportunity to attend school as the school was too far from where she lived. She is married and has two children.

Hafida Mahboub

Hafida was born in Scherat, is one of the creators of the association, is married and is the mother of two children. She has never had the opportunity to attend school, but has learned weaving from her mother and sisters.

mona

Mouna is married and learned the art of weaving from her mother.

fatima el ayoubi

فاطمة ام لطفلاتان المستوي الدرسية ٦ابتداية

khadija ait hadou

A member of Cooperative Nahda, weaving in Souq El Hed.

mina

A member of Cooperative Nahda, weaving in Souq El Hed.

Ilham sadiki

Ilham Sadiki She was born in Souk Al-Ahad, Oued Ifrane, in 1998. She is single and has completed her second year of secondary education. She learned sewing at the Education and Training Center in Oued Ifrane and joined the Al-Nahda Cooperative to sell its products and develop her skills.

Houria amri

Houria Amri She was born in Souk Al-Ahad, Oued Ifrane, in 1999 . She is single and has completed her second year of secondary education. She learned sewing at the Education and Training Center in Oued Ifrane and joined the Al-Nahda Cooperative to sell its products and develop her skills.