Association Inna Hna

BMS Administrator Ella interviewed Abderrahman Ijammaane, President of Association Inna Hna, to find out more about their work.

Association Inna Hna is an incredibly active association and has been supported by an annual donation from the BMS since its foundation.

Food distribution project during Covid-19 lockdown

First of all, could you tell me a little about Inna Hna?

Inna Hna means “compassionate mother” in the Berber language. The association was founded in 2010 by the inhabitants of the village in order to improve the life of the local people in a sustainable way. Inna Hna’s work spans multiple sectors including: development, literacy projects, health care, culture, education, disability support and the environment.

Where in Morocco are you based?

We are located in the lush valley of Ghdat at an altitude of 1800m in the foothills of the high Atlas Mountains. There are 5 douars (Berber villages) in total belonging to the Ait Rbaa Glaoua tribe. Baachirt douar is two and a half hours drive south of Marrakech on the main road to Ouarzazate. To reach the village you have to follow the paved road to Issirc and the village is about a 30 minute walk or mule ride

Around 30 Berber families live in the mud brick houses of Baachirt and earn their living through farming and breeding goats that they herd as semi-nomads in the summer on the high plateau.

Map of the region

What type of projects do you carry out?

We currently work in a number of main areas:

Providing learning opportunities to women in the areas of literacy and health, particularly around pregnancy and childcare
Supporting local children to give them the best start in life, including providing quality education and preschool programmes as well as books, supplies and educational toys
Providing support to families who are most in need
Protecting the local environment through awareness raising and projects, with a focus on communal management and teamwork.
Providing clean drinking water and health services to local families
Bridging the gap between and coordinating with the local commune to support the development of the local area
Creating volunteer opportunities for local people

Children receiving sports materials

Since 2010, what projects have you finished?

Since the creation of the association, just some of the projects we have completed include:

Distribution of an average of 300 blankets per year to the poorest inhabitants.
Renovation of the main road to Baachirt, which was destroyed by floods.
Distribution of clothing, blankets, food and wooden briquettes for women and children during each period of extreme cold.
Distribution of around 150 mattresses to women during the winter period.
Renovation of the rooms of the school at Issers including painting work, reestablishing water supply and lighting and replacing the doors and windows destroyed by the floods at the end of 2014.
Providing drinking water supplies to 2 douars.
Construction of a large basin for water distribution to the douars.
Various awareness campaigns including dental hygiene for schoolchildren and women.
High Atlas Medical Campaigns: more than 850 consultations including purchase of medicine and glasses.
Two agricultural projects for income projects for women in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.

As an association, we have established very positive relationships with partners, companies and high-level donors which has allowed us to carry out many different projects.

Parcel distribution

And what projects are you currently working on?

We are currently working on a number of projects. We are working particularly to strengthen the capacities of communities to face various challenges, in particular the repercussions of the lack of drinking water. This project involves:

Monitoring the coverage of drinking water flow in douars facing difficulties in water supply.
Drilling and equipping a well for the supply of drinking water to Baachirt (50 households/300 people).
Construction of a water storage tank for final distribution.
Installation of a solar panel system and submersible pump for drinking water.

Water storage tank

Work on the irrigation system

We have a number of other ongoing projects including:

Small income projects for women.
Construction of a village hall with multipurpose rooms.
Continued renovation of the rooms of the Issers school and the creation of a basketball court for schoolchildren.
Construction of a sports field.
Construction of a dispensary (small first aid hospital) particularly for women and children.

In addition, road access remains a primary concern to be resolved given the fragility of the current state of the road.

School children

And if BMS members want to find out more about your work, how can they do this?

We have a website, www.innahna.com, as well as a Facebook page www.facebook.com/innahnango and email info@Innahna.com.

2019 report from a visit to Inna Hna by Trustee Benedicte Clarkson

In October 2019, I visited Douar Baach-Irt, 6 kms by piste from the main road to Ouarzazate, just before Le Col du Tichka. There, a local man, Abderrahman, founded a charity, Association Inna Hna, to help his people. This Berber village in the mountains had no water. Abderrahman found the means to bring water from a source 9 kms away. As it is at 2000m high, the village is covered in snow in winter and isolated. It’s cold. The 20,000 dirhams that the BMS has donated up to now is going towards the building of a communal house, maison de village, which will have a small medical room with the basics, but mostly a room where the women can meet up around a fire and keep warm in winter. The project for the building alone will cost 156,000 dirhams, then you have to add wall painting, tables, chairs, toilet, shower.

I received such a lovely welcome – as the photographs below show. Abderrahman works for a transport company which works with Travel Link. He is a lovely man, very dedicated to improving the lives of the village women (a lot of the men have had to go to look for work somewhere else).

I hope the BMS can continue to help this association.