Blog #2.11 Foundation Dar Si Hmad
UCM and USF program participants with partners at Foundation Dar Si Hmad in Agadir
Fabulous first day at the office of our partner organization, Foundation Dar Si Hmad (DSH), a Moroccan NGO based in Agadir and Sidi Ifni that sponsors community projects in the region to support environmental protection, community development, education, and cultural exchange. We had interesting discussions with our whole team regarding topic objectives and initial methods of implementing our project focus. What stands out for me today involves not our meals and excellent cuisine but also the positive aspects of collaboration involved in joint ventures. As I sat with my new friend Natasha from USF at lunch, we met with someone from Dar Si Hmad who discussed Moroccan history, colonial influences past and present, our current work here in Morocco, and our work outside this venture. The ideas and discussion from all parties were enthusiastic and forthright, supporting each idea and concluding with the general concern of fair and better support for people.
Guest lecture on Amazigh history, language and culture at Foundation Dar Si Hmad with Prof. Lahoucine Bouyaakobi from the Dept. of Amazigh Studies at Université Ibn Zohr
Our discussion went way past the intended lunchtime ranging from water concerns in California, the DSH Fog water capture initiative in Sidi Ifni region and the symbiotic biological influences on an ecosystem (honeybees and ladybugs). Being a student of Management of Complex Systems, I am interested in how different influences, nodes, and environments make up or influence a system either positively or negatively. I am thinking about how these projects in Morocco can contribute new ideas to my work with drought-tolerant crops in California. As it turns out, the person I spoke with also just happens to be the President of Foundation Dar Si Hmad, Dr. Aissa Derhem. WOW! Just goes to show you at the Dar Si Hmad you’ll never know who you might run into at lunch.
-by Ken Prewitt
Traditional Moroccan couscous served on Friday with a Moroccan family in Agadir
