On Friday, July 11th, we held the closing ceremony at the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) for the 11 wonderful students of the University of Virginia (UVA). They concluded their eight week summer program called “Participatory Development in Practice”. 

The time we spent together on Friday was an opportunity to reflect on our growth journey, on moments wonderfully etched on our consciousness, and to really give thanks to beautiful Morocco for being a society where personal and shared exploration seems to be part of its magic. 

The students of UVA, over the course of their summer, not only seriously considered wide ranging aspects of sustainable development but also are immersed in applied experience, working alongside the staff of the High Atlas Foundation. The professional work that they share creates friendships and bonds that make the closing ceremony so very inspiring and encouraging but also about concluding a remarkable time. 

As for me, the summer session with the university students is a time where all of us honestly contemplate the trials and joys of development processes. I feel like it’s a revealing time of year when we have the space to analyze together the daily requirements of the organization and fulfilling its mission, but also what the years-long experience has been like and how we see ourselves over the future course of time. How can we scale empowerment everywhere? How can we eradicate alienation and poverty in all places? How can we be adaptive and sustainable under such severe water scarcity? And how can we better enable great fulfillment of the people?  HAF’s partnership with UVA is about such sincere and dedicated action entirely local community-driven and Moroccan. 

Thank you students of the University of Virginia for this year and prior years and all that we’ve explored and made possible together as best we could with the most sustainable of intentions. I hope you enjoy these photos.