Regreening the oasis & empowering women and children

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Hello everyone!

We are project Bani Hayoune Garden, led by Es-Said Et-Talmoudi, a former Sahara nomad and now a gardener & builder, and Linde de Greeff, a visual artist from the Netherlands. Since January 2019, we have been nurturing a 1.2-hectare plot of land with a 200-year-old adobe house and a couple of date palms, located near the village of Bani Hayoune in the Tagounite-Ktaoua valley, in Southeast Morocco.

After five and a half years of dedication, we're reaching out for help. With your support, we can develop a stable water source and ensure financial backing to continue our project.

Over the years, we have worked tirelessly, together with the help of volunteers from around the world, to overcome challenges posed by the harsh climate. Despite our progress, we now face the reality that we urgently need access to water and funds to sustain our work.

Drought

Villages in this region, once thriving due to their proximity to the Draa river, are now suffering due to drought caused, amongst other reasons, by several dam constructions. Thousands of people are struggling, with scarce access to water and limited job opportunities. Our region next to the Sahara desert is facing desertification, worsened by climate change and unsustainable commercial farming. Local farmers are left with less and less underground water.

Water sources are drying up and palm trees are becoming diseased and dying because of severe water shortages. With only 2 to 3 days of rain each year, and summer temperatures often exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), the situation is getting worse every year. More and more people are forced to leave the area, the palm trees are suffering from neglect. At the same time, those who remain on their ancestral land do their best to maintain it with limited resources. We live in a place with few opportunities, where thousands of people are fighting for a better life.

But there is still hope: now is the time for solutions.

Hope

Our goal is to revive this dying oasis through sustainable, long term practices that support both the natural environment and the local community. This includes cultivating a food forest and creating a dedicated cultural space for women and children. We aim to bring back plants, insects and restore biodiversity.

We will build an educational & artistic workshop space for the women and children from the Sahara region. Working together with artists, travelers, volunteers and the local population, we create a community space for creating, sharing and learning. Local women will be empowered to generate their own, independent income streams and we will support them in selling traditional handicrafts.

Our oasis will serve as refuge for nature itself and for the people.

Read more about our project goals below.

THE PROJECT GOALS

Our mission is to make the region of Bani Hayoune more livable, by giving nature a helping hand and empowering the local people, so they can continue living here. Our goals:

1. Creating a sustainable oasis in the desert

Our immediate focus is to bring back life to an almost completely dried-out region. We will start by drilling a well, building stable water reservoirs and installing irrigation systems. The trees we will plant — palms, acacia, turza, fig, olive, carob, eucalyptus and pomegranate — are all native to the region and grow well in the desert climate. With your support, we can tackle desertification and make the land livable again, both for us and for future generations.

Planting trees helps restore the water cycle. Trees release water vapor that contributes to cloud formation and rainfall, while their roots help water seep into the soil to recharge groundwater. By reintroducing native flora to the land, we aim to create a sustainable environment: temperatures will drop and birds and insects will return. Our plot has been examined by experts, who have confirmed the presence of fertile soil and several precious underground water veins.

To protect the garden from wild animals and sandstorms, we will build a perimeter wall using a concrete foundation, mountain rocks and a mixture of sand and water.

As products are supplied from afar and are unaffordable for most people, self-sufficiency is becoming crucial. With your help, we will be able to grow enough organic food to provide for our small community.

2. Empowering & cultural space for women & children

Many women in this region have not had the opportunity to finish school and are financially dependent on marriage. However, in every family, girls grow up learning traditional craft techniques, such as embroidery, weaving, spinning and crocheting. The products they make are often made from their own goat's or sheep's wool or from recycled materials and are made with great precision and care.

By establishing a communal space where women can come together and work on their crafts, we aim to support them in making a step towards financial independence. The space encourages the exchange of techniques, crafts, thoughts and ideas.

Our aim is to act as a bridge between the local women and external organisations and help them sell their products. Initially, roughly 80% of sales will go to the women and the remaining 20% will be used to cover material costs. Our goal is that once our project generates enough income through Sahara tours — currently one of the project’s main sources of income — 100% of the proceeds can go to the local women.

We will also create a workshop center for children with a focus on art and gardening. Workshops in art, music, permaculture and sustainability will take place here. We hope to prepare the new generation for the future by increasing awareness of the importance of caring for the environment and the changing climate.

Ancient knowledge & cultural heritage is rapidly disappearing. Our space will naturally serve as a place where generations meet. Older women will be able to pass on their ancestral skills and knowledge to the new generation. This way, indigenous cultures can be preserved.

Through our continuously growing international network, we will invite artists and musicians to work with us. A diversity of knowledge can be exchanged and collaborations can be created.

3. Project-supporting tours

Our project is funded partly by organising tours into the Sahara desert. Said, having grown up in the region, has deep knowledge of the landscape and its inhabitants, which allows us to offer unique, mindful experiences.

However, renting cars for these tours is expensive and takes up the majority of the tour income. Acquiting a reliable car of our own would greatly reduce costs and help sustain the project through generating an income. This car would also be used to transport materials and supplies for the project.

Your donation

To continue this project, we need your help. Nothing can survive without water. With your support we will be able to make substantial steps towards digging a well, planting trees and building a communal space for women, children & guests. These efforts require both water and financial resources. We work on a big project to which we dedicate our lives. Due to the situation and the challenging climate, a lot is still needed to be able to move forward.

Currently our plants — even the palms— are struggling to survive due to the lack of water and protection. We recycle all our water - for the garden and for construction - but this is not enough. The project urgently needs a deep-dug well.

Currently, we rely on temporary plastic reservoirs to store water. These often break as desperate grassroots grow through them in search of water. To ensure long-term water storage, we need stronger reservoirs made from metal and concrete.

Each of your donations, and every time you share our story, is a massive help, making a meaningful difference towards securing the future of the Bani Hayoune Garden project. We are so grateful for your support, and to welcome you on our journey. Your support means the world to us!

How will your donation be used?

We keep everyone informed of what happens with your donations. Please let us know if you would like your donation to contribute towards a particular part of the project.

More info

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

Said & Linde

Project Bani Hayoune Garden

& Stichting Bani Hayoune Garden

About the founders

Said (b. 1989, Sahara desert Morocco) is a farmer, construction worker, gardener and member of a former nomad tribe. He was born and raised in the Sahara desert, living with only the most essential: nature, animals and family. Coming from an Amazigh-Tuareg family, Said feels most at home deep inside the desert. This is where his roots are. For many years, he and his family lived the nomadic life, living in tents and crossing big distances through the world’s largest desert ecosystem. Said’s life in the desert brought him a lot of wisdom and a deep understanding for animals and nature. 'I still remember water flowing in the Daraa river. We would go there every year to fish. 20 years ago this place was still green.'

Being a highly driven and deeply caring member of his local community, he has been developing and actively implementing this project for the last few years. When faced in December 2018 with a piece of land containing only a 200 year old building in ruins - built by his ancestors - and a couple of old date palm trees, Said saw the unique potential of the place and felt the urgence to make a change.

Linde (b. 1992, United Kingdom) is a visual artist, photographer & teacher from the Netherlands / Denmark. She has been living between the Netherlands and Morocco for several years and joined Said in early 2019 during the start-up of, first of all, his project.

After finishing the art academy St. Joost in ‘s Hertogenbosch, she started giving art workshops to children and families in a refugee center in Arnhem and has worked in several Waldorf kindergartens in Copenhagen. She has experience in providing care for elderly people and has worked as a caregiver at an institution for disabled people. Her ambition is to combine her artist practice with working with people, preferably as close to nature as possible. A few years after Linde met Said, Linde helped start the ‘Bani Hayoune Garden’ and now lives and works here almost all year round.