DonateTHE VOICES OF BATIK: A Conversation with Hafida
Since 2025, Hafida has been participating in a goat-raising project in Morocco. While she initially joined the project to expand her business, she now speaks of changes that go beyond farming: women coming together, helping one another, and gaining confidence.
An activity to build independence
Hafida is 40 years old and has four children. She joined the project in 2025 after being told about it by someone from her village. She then received goats and joined a group of women involved in goat farming.
Already accustomed to working in the fields and tending to livestock, Hafida is now expanding this work to include goats. In particular, she produces milk, which she consumes with her family.
But as the project progressed, another aspect took on greater importance: the bonds formed among the participants.
Creating Spaces to Come Together
Before the project, the women in the village knew each other but had few opportunities to get together outside of ceremonies and festivals. The meetings organized as part of the project created new opportunities for interaction.
Every two weeks, the participants get together to talk and spend time with one another. For Hafida, these get-togethers have gradually strengthened the bonds between them:
« These meetings really bring us closer together. Every two weeks, you bring us together, and that makes us stronger and more motivated. »
These group sessions also allow the women to encourage and support one another. Hafida explains that these gatherings inspire them to take on things they hadn’t yet dared to do.
Mutual Support That Continues Every Day
This dynamic is reinforced by the mentoring system established within the project. Each participant can turn to another woman for support when she encounters difficulties raising her children.
For Hafida, this opportunity is invaluable: she knows she can ask for advice and receive support whenshe doesn’t know how to handle a situation involving her livestock.
« “If I can’t figure out how to handle my livestock, I can definitely go ask my godmother for help.”
“I’m glad I made the right decision”
Beyond the farming aspect, what Hafida remembers most is the sense of community that has developed around the project. She recalls her first encounter with the Rosa association and her decision to join the group. Looking back, she believes she would have “missed out on everything” if she had refused.
Her testimony thus illustrates an important aspect of support: creating the conditions for women to start a business, but also to meet one another, share their experiences, and rely on one another.