Argan Nursery and Forest in Essaouira, Morocco

he High Atlas Foundation is thrilled to announce a new partnership with FRÉ, a company that uses organic argan oil to offer a skincare solution for women who work out, formulated for skin that sweats. FRÉ uses argan that is harvested and processed in Morocco, and they are committed to giving back to the communities that make their world-class product possible.

FRÉ and HAF are working to empower women. Having extensive experience working with argan nuts, FRÉ understands the crucial role that rural Moroccan women play in making their first class product available to world markets.

FRÉ and HAF will plant argan trees in the Province of Essouira that will be cultivated by women’s cooperatives, and we will assist the organic certification and sale of their product in local and international markets. This will be a fundamental change for the women’s cooperatives: as instead of processing the product of others for an excruciatingly low salary, they will now be able to cultivate, process, sell, and receive the entire profits from their own argan.

HAF and FRÉ are also teaming up in order to expand environmental education and preservation with women and youth groups. Environmental preservation is a cornerstone for both FRÉ and HAF. Our partnership with FRÉ will allow us to plant trees at public schools to encourage students to be empowered environmental stewards, and make all of Morocco a greener place.

The High Atlas Foundation is grateful to FRÉ, and all of the partners who enable us to carry out our work driven by Moroccan communities to brighten the future of women, children, and the entire world.

• Born in 1941 in Essaouira, André Azoulay is a Jewish person who grew up in a Muslim country--a formative life experience enabling him to know that Jewish-Arab coexistence is possible.  
• Mr. Azoulay was educated in Paris where he studied journalism, economics, and international relations. He graduated from the French High School of Journalism (CFI) in 1962, followed by his specialization in economics and finance in Brussels and Paris (1963) (ALF).
• In 1966, he left Morocco for Paris after having worked as an editor of the newspaper “Maroc-information."
• In 1974, he created a Moroccan organization called "Identity and Dialogue", whose first goal was to raise awareness of the Sephardic Jewish history and correct the negative image of a culture that has long suffered from being perceived as a "second-class culture." The second objective was the dialogue between Jews and Arabs and the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue.
• In 1989, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the French Revolution, AA receives the Legion d’honneur. Thereafter, he holds the position of Vice-President of the Center for Peace in the Middle East based in Tel Aviv.
•  “In 1991, Mr. Azoulay became Advisor to the late King Hassan II of Morocco and in 1999 his successor, HM King Mohammed VI.  Mr. Azoulay has largely contributed to the implementation of economic reforms which have been applied throughout the Kingdom since their inception in the early 90s.  He has helped to promote the image of Morocco throughout the world and to improve the relations with the European Union and the USA” (ALF).
• In August 2005, Azoulay was nominated member of the “High Level Group” for the “Alliance of Civilizations", set up by the General Secretary of the United Nations. Catalyzed by Spain and co-sponsored by Turkey, this initiative is addressing the issue of the relations between Islam and the Western World.
• In 2006, he received an honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University of the Negev for his “life-long quest for coexistence between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa.”
• In 2008 he was elected unanimously president of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures for a 3-year term.
• At the end of 2008, Mr. Azoulay asks the Israeli government to accept the 2002 peace plan proposed by the Arab League.
• President of the Executive Committee of the Foundation of the Three Cultures and the Three Religions based in Seville (Spain), he is also member of he Foundation for the Protection of Judeo-Moroccan Heritage as well as the C-100 (Davos Forum for the Dialogue of Civilizations and Religions).  2009 is its 10^th anniversary, celebrated in Seville, Spain.
• For over 40 years, Mr. Azoulay has taken an active part in supporting the activities of different movements and associations whose vocation is to help the process of better understanding and mutual respect between Islam and the Western World.
• "Morocco is a source of inspiration for peace-makers and a privileged space for the pioneers of dialogue. It is the land of all possible things" (Maroc.ma, 2007).