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Sometimes, life brings in our path some people who change our minds and ways of thinking. Such was the case of Aicha Qablaoui, a Moroccan residing in Germany.
«In August 2018, I was holidaying in Morocco, I went to the market and there was a woman who carried a baby on her back and who wanted to sell me a plastic bag», Aicha recalled. «I refused to buy it because I did not need it but she insisted and her words touched me so bad that I ended up buying all the plastic bags she had on her», she told Yabiladi.
Aicha still remembers every moment of the day that mother approached her : «Her words kept in my mind and when I got home I had the idea of finding an alternative job for women like her».
And so it all started. On the same day, Aicha emptied her house’s garage in the province of Taroudant and turned it into a workshop making reusable bags from fabric and bought machines and sewing equipment. Her goal was to create job opportunities for local women and at the same time fight against the use of plastic bags to help preserve the environment.
eco-friendly bags to help local women
Aicha’s determination and will to improve the lives of these women were so strong that she decided during the same week to establish a cooperative she named «Sanaat Houara» after the region where she grew up «Oulad Taima» or «Houara». She chose the colors of the Moroccan flag, red and green, for the bags.
«I wanted to take advantage of the time I had in Morocco and I gathered all the paperwork I needed in a very short time. I then chose ten women who seemed to be in most need and I promoted my products in the region. I knocked on every door but unfortunately I did not receive enough orders, only the Chamber of Commerce and one merchant asked to purchase my bags».
Nevertheless, Aicha did not give up on her goals and the women who heavily relied on her help. She decided to promote her project in Germany by participating to local exhibitions held in the city where she lived with her family.
«We made fabric bags with the same colors, red and green, as Germans use them for Christmas and broidered on them the initials for Morocco and Germany (MD). I was happy to see that a group of people liked the merchandise», Aicha said.
The Moroccan woman is currently working on founding another cooperative in Germany and confirmed that she wants to overcome the weak turnout in Morocco by «producing reusable bags in the Kingdom and selling them through her Germany cooperative, which is expected to open its doors soon». According to her, this initiative can help create job opportunities for refugee women in the municipality where she works as a social worker and translator.
A social worker with big dreams
In addition to her projects in Morocco, Aicha has been working as a social worker and translator in Herten since 2015. «I work as a translator and help refugees from Arab countries, mostly from Syria and Iraq, and people from sub-Saharan Africa», she explained. In the past, she did the same job with Caritas, a German confederation of 165 Catholic relief charities.
Aicha started doing this job, after obtaining a degree in German language and communication. She recalls that in Morocco she had dropped out of middle school for a marriage that did not last very long. After moving to Germany in 2001, she got back to school, married a German man and is now a mother to three girls.
Aicha participates to several cultural activities supervised by educational institutions and associations. During these activities, she makes sure to wear Moroccan dresses, whether the caftan or any other dress from a specific region in Morocco, in an attempt to catch the attention of visitors and introduce them to the beauty of Moroccan traditions. And besides that, Aicha is working on introducing the Moroccan cuisine and its products to Germany, including the argan oil.
Aicha's interest in the environment led her to establish an association under the name «Regional association for Environment and Development» near the city of Oulad Taima, through which she aims to raise awareness regarding the environment and on the ways to protect it. «It is an association meant for children, we push them to love the environment while teaching them how to recycle waste, make creative things from it, and grow plants and trees».
Last year, the Moroccan national organized her first meeting in the same region, through which she and the rest of the association members, who are mostly young, made several presentations on the environment. The event included competitions and contests for children to make them care more about the need to save the planet. She also plans to organize this forum annually in the future.
