Road construction as development aid.

The Riff mountains, as well as the central-, and high-Atlas mountains are home to the Berber tribes. We have experienced this region as one of extreme poverty, with people sometimes totally desperate, begging us to buy something, anything, just so that they can have some money. It tears my heart to experience this, especilly when one realizes that they are talking about several "Dirhams", less than 50 Euro cents.
It seems the region is totally disconnected from the development marocco has gone through in the last decades. Houses are made of stamped clay frequently in total disrepair, transport is by donkey, cooking is with wood. Water, which was once readily available in the mountains has becom a magor problem as the drought continues. Villages are dying out and the cultural heritage of personal jewelery and family carpets is being sold to the markets in Marrakesh to people like us, to generate at least some money for the families. It is all very sad!

What we have noticed is that there is massive road construction and repair work taking place all over, especially in the Atlas mountains where tracks leading tens of kilomerters to tiny villages in the high mountains are widened and graded. These multi-year projects train and use locals, also in qualified positions, such as truck drivers, operators of machine shovels and other infra structure.
This brings desperately needed income into the region, villages and families.Read more