Fostering local dynamics through the inclusion of rural women
Convinced of the pivotal role rural women can play in achieving sustainable development, the Foundation has, from a very early stage, sought to create conditions favorable to their economic inclusion. To this end, it carries out community action based on a systemic approach. Thus, the Foundation promotes rural women’s access to social services, literacy and capacity-building in addition to promoting economic empowerment. It supports them as they start income-generating activities, taking into account local potential.
This approach has a twofold objective: to generate sustainable income for beneficiaries andpromote local products in target regions. Thousands of micro-projects have thus benefited from financial assistance in the form of supervision or provision of equipment. They have mostly been inthe agricultural sector and related fields (arboriculture, breeding, apiculture, argan...), crafts (looms, pottery ...) and tourism (creation of rural hostels, catering ...).
These measures are further supported by initiatives encouraging women to set up cooperatives and help them with market local products. A breakthrough was achieved with the creation of the Solidarity Market, a fair-trade platform created by the Foundationin 2017 and dedicated to selling cooperative products directly.
