The Atlas Women’s Collective
In one of the world’s most geographically breathtaking regions, women are creating something even more remarkable.
Join us in supporting
their next chapter.
In 2019, the Atlas Cultural Foundation launched its Women’s Empowerment Program in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. What began with literacy and numeracy classes grew into a broad effort to help women build skills, confidence, and financial agency.
As participants developed vocational and entrepreneurial skills, a clear need emerged: women needed a dedicated space to expand their personal agency, apply those skills and generate income.
A new community center is taking shape in Zawiya Ahansal, a women-led cultural and hospitality space creating long-term economic opportunity and sustainable income.
Shaped by residents, traditional craftsmen, and ACF volunteers, the 6,000-square-foot (600-square-meter) center is built with architectural traditions and local materials rooted in the cultural heritage of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
The center is designed as a place where locals and visitors will gather to learn, teach, cook, create, and support income generation for local families.
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Women in rural Morocco face significant barriers to economic participation. According to the World Bank, only about 20% of Moroccan women participate in the labor force, one of the lowest rates in the world.
While women contribute substantially to their households and communities, many lack access to markets, business infrastructure, and income-generating opportunities. At the same time, community development programs often depend heavily on external funding.
The Atlas Women's Collective addresses both challenges by creating pathways to financial agency for women while building a more sustainable model for community development.
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Set deep within Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the Zawiya Ahansal Valley has quietly become a destination for affluent, adventure-driven travelers. Drawn to the beauty of the M'Goun UNESCO Global Geopark and the remote, culturally rich landscapes, visitors arrive with both curiosity and spending power.
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The Atlas Women's Collective is designed to create financial agency for women and long-term sustainability for community programs.
The Collective includes a community kitchen, artisan market, educational space, gathering area, and guest apartment. Together, these spaces will generate income for women while supporting future community initiatives.
Soft Opening September 2026
ACF’s Women’s Empowerment Program will move into the new center with their existing activities. Pilot launch of Community Kitchen and Gathering Spaces.
THE IMPACT
Short-Term
Women gain the skills, confidence, and financial agency to shape their own futures.
Income-generating opportunities for more than 50 women.
Leadership, business, and entrepreneurship experience.
Increased household financial stability.
A vibrant hub for learning, collaboration, and cultural exchange.
Long-Term
The Atlas Women's Collective will create a self-sustaining model of community development where women are leaders, entrepreneurs, and change makers.
By generating personal income and income reinvested in future programming, the Collective will strengthen families, increase economic resilience, and support lasting community-led development throughout the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and become a model for women’s personal agency that can be implemented all over Morocco.
The type of change that alters societies.
We are inviting
existing donors to increase their support for one year
new partner organizations looking to make a lasting, visible investment in women’s empowerment
We Need Your Support
Finish the Vision & Change the Lives of:
50+ Women
50+ Families
An Entire Village
A Society
Ways to support
Tizwiri Partner
A $15,000 donation will support:
Community Kitchen
2 Indoor Gathering Spaces
Program Leadership Training
Income Generating Activities
Weaving Workshops
Cooking Lessons
Tizwiri is a Tamazight word that means both ‘beginning’ and ‘a long time ago’. In the Atlas Mountains, every new beginning honors heritage.
Tamunt Partner
A $30,000 donation will support:
Outdoor Kitchen & Herb Garden
Exterior Gathering Spaces
Entrepreneurship Training
Income Generating Activities
Marketplace
Cultural Workshops
Tamunt is the Tamazight word for ‘collective strength’. It is the ancient understanding that what we create together last beyond us.
Tafwiyt Partner
A $60,000 donation will support:
Guest Apartment
Rooftop Gathering Spaces
Hospitality Training
Income Generating Activities
Lodging for Visitors
Hosting Large Groups
Tafwiyt is the Tamazight word for ‘sun’. Like the Moroccan sun, this donation will build long-term self-sufficiency for generations.