Cultural Exchange ✦ Friendship ✦ Community Service Website: www.AIWARABAT.com Email: [email protected]AIWARABAT BOARD MAY 2013 Co-Presidents Nancy Slaoui [email protected]Oumnia Seghrouchni [email protected]Co-VP for Programs Soumaya El Ouggouti [email protected]Malika Iguenfer Dahbi [email protected]VP for Fundraising Maria Benmokhtar [email protected]VP Communication & PR Fatiha Haddouchi [email protected]Co-Chair for Community Development Committee (CDC) Amina El Abridi [email protected]Alice Yoro [email protected]Recording Secretary Dominique Simon [email protected]Treasurer & Assistant Treasurer Khadija Zarrouck [email protected]Zahra Mouhsine [email protected]Chair Membership Committee Malika Bellafkih [email protected]Samia Kanani [email protected]Co-Chair Hospitality Souad Tadlaoui [email protected]Khadija Alaoui [email protected]FAWCO Representative Connie McDaniel [email protected]AIWA LEADERS HONORED AT END-OF-YEAR LUNCHEON An early year-end luncheon gave members the opportunity to exchange gratitude for last year’s accomplishments. Held on May 13th, AIWA’s annual luncheon to mark the end of the fiscal year came early this time around, with a fabulous afternoon feast at Les Trois Palmiers pavilion in Temara. The ladies enjoyed the coastal view as they dined, celebrated, and cheered on the new year. Group leaders and board members were officially thanked for their contributions throughout the year. Glasses were raised and high-pitched cheers and whistles were heard as AIWA members also said a final ‘bon voyage’ and ‘thank you’ to Betsy Woodwell, Co-VP of Communication & PR, for her dedication to the AIWA newsletter. As a backdrop to the festivities, original works of art by talented members were on display at the restaurant. The numerous and diverse achievements of its members throughout this last year gave AIWA yet another fine reason to celebrate together. ✦ MISSED AN EVENT? Catch up on all you’ve missed! More pictures from the End-of-Year Luncheon and other AIWA events on Picasa Galleries… https://profiles.google.com/ AIWAMOROCCO/photos
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Cultural Exchange ✦ Friendship ✦ Community Service
AIWA LEADERS HONORED AT END-OF-YEAR LUNCHEONAn early year-end luncheon gave members the opportunity to exchange gratitude for last year’s accomplishments.
Held on May 13th, AIWA’s annual luncheon to mark the end of the fiscal year came early this time around, with a fabulous afternoon feast at Les Trois Palmiers pavilion in Temara. The ladies enjoyed the coastal view as they dined, celebrated, and cheered on the new year.
Group leaders and board members were officially thanked for their contributions throughout the year. Glasses were raised and high-pitched cheers and whistles were heard as AIWA members also said a final ‘bon voyage’ and ‘thank you’ to Betsy Woodwell, Co-VP of Communication & PR, for her dedication to the AIWA newsletter.
As a backdrop to the festivities, original works of art by talented members were on display at the restaurant. The numerous and diverse achievements of its members throughout this last year gave AIWA yet another fine reason to celebrate together. ✦
MISSED AN EVENT?
Catch up on all you’ve missed!
More pictures from the End-of-Year Luncheon and other AIWA events
CORPSAFRICA LAUNCHES IN MOROCCOAIWA members help kick off the official launch of CorpsAfrica in Morocco- an endeavor modeled after the Peace Corps program
CorpsAfrica was pleased to have many AIWA members in attendance at their kick-off reception in Souissi on May 2nd – where they distributed applications hot off the presses for the inaugural group of ten Fellows, who will start training in September. (The application deadline is June 15th – visit www.corpsafrica.org for more details.)
The reception was hosted by CorpsAfrica/Maroc’s Board of Directors – comprised of highly regarded Moroccans in the areas of business, academics, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society. During the reception, CorpsAfrica/Maroc officially signed conventions with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. His Excellency Minister Mohamed Ouzzine, and Dr. Cherif Bel Fekih, Vice President for Student Affairs at AUI signed the conventions and were the featured speakers. Ms. Marwa Chaabi Al Omami opened the program with beautiful renditions of both the American and Moroccan national anthems.
The reception on May 2nd also celebrated CorpsAfrica’s Holbrooke Campaign, a special tribute to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke to recognize the significant and meaningful contributions he made as the Peace Corps Country Director in Morocco from 1970-1972. Holbrooke called that posting the best job he ever had. ✦
For more information about CorpsAfrica, please contact Liz Fanning at [email protected].
--Liz Fanning
ROLE OF CORPSAFRICA
FELLOWSAlong the lines of the Peace Corps model, CorpsAfrica Fellows will move to high-poverty communities across Morocco for one year to facilitate demand-driven development projects. They will help communities identify their highest priority need and then invite an appropriate NGO to work with them to design and implement the project.
DO YOU KNOW ANY POTENTIAL
CORPSAFRICA FELLOWS?
Perhaps YOU know the next fellow to join CorpsAfrica’s
SPREAD THE WORD . . . THE ENVIRONMENT NEEDS YOUR HELP!
AIWA members count down to World Environment Day 2013 by engaging in simple lifestyle changes that lead to greater environmental impact.
World Environment Day is June 5th. Having been involved in this initiative for some 15 years, AIWA continues its outreach to schools and will be doing plantings in the late fall this year.
The United Nations Environmental Programme, spearheading the celebration, declares World Environment Day as “an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. World Environment Day activities take place all year round and climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.” The UNEP wants to know: What are you going to do for World Environment Day? ✦
- Share your environmentally-friendly activities, or see more at: http://www.unep.org/
--Sonia Zihad
Remind your friends!To send an e-card with an an environmental theme, visit the World Wildlife Org.
website and find ready-made e-cards under “How to Help”:
http://wwf.worldwildlife.org
Or visit www.e-cards.com, where a portion of the revenues will go to support environmental projects.
Think twice about disposing non-biodegradable waste!
As these telling images show, some common household waste can unintentionally end up endangering someone else’s habitat.
Instead, let’s exchange real solutions for disposing hazard-ous waste to avoid spoiling our environment.
Thank you to the members of the Environment Group for their help and to AIWA for its continued support.
An excellent website for hands on projects with young children:
Find additional hands-on projects (in French) at the link below:
In the garden
For an eco-friendly alternative to pesticides, the ladybug is a best friend against all sorts of tiny insects. Also, ash left over from your fireplace can be put around young plants to reduce “slugs” or limace (fr.) from dining on your nice flowers.
Around your home
Try creating your own natural cleaning products! A French television program called C’est du Propre! has an eco-friendly cleaning product for varnishing wood made from just three teabags and a quart (or liter) of boiling water. Steep the teabags, and let the water cool completely. Dip a sponge into the ‘tea’, squeeze out any excess and wipe the dust away. Wipe again with a clean dry cloth. It seems the natural pigment ‘tannins’ in the tea will even cover light scratches.
Did you know?
Lemon juice can be used for wiping brass, while vinegar works great on stainless steel surfaces, and you can use salt and vinegar to get rid of hard water deposits in the bathroom. ✦
For more information , check out C’est du Propre! on the web at http://www.m6.fr/emission-c_est_du_propre/
SPEAKERS SERIESThe AIWA Programs Committee welcomed Moroccan author AMINA EL ALAMI ALAOUI on May 7th to discuss her recently-published novel Ombres sur L’amandier.
Synopsis: Ombres sur L’amandier (Shadows over the Almond-Tree) tells the story of a merchant Fassi family that confronts a determining event in the history of the Kingdom of Morocco: the signing of the Protectorate Treaty on March 30, 1912 by Sultan Moulay Hafid and Ambassador Regnault. This novel describes the sufferings, hopes, desires, and fears of the members of a bourgeois family from Fes in a world full of turmoil.
The main character is Lalla Joumanah, an extraordinary woman who is admired by her entourage and strangers alike. Hailing from the north of Morocco, Lalla Joumanah is impacted by the events in the north, taking place under the Spanish Protectorate at the time. The novel reveals the sentimental ramifications of the War of the Rif on this particular family of Fes.
This historical novel explores a plethora of themes: love, nationalism, war, slavery, relations between family members, the clash of cultures and the importance of education-- simply put, life, with its sweeping events and small details.
A limited number of copies of Amina El Alami Alaoui’s Ombres sur L’amandier will be available for purchase at the next AIWA General Meeting on June 4th. Additionally, the novel is available in bookstores around Rabat and Casablanca.✦
OUT AND ABOUT IN THE RABAT MEDINAAIWA members got an authentic taste for Rabat's heritage as they toured the medina together on May 18th. The explorers got a sneak peek at historic riads, heard a firsthand account of the ins and outs of medina life from the group’s knowledgeable tour guide, and scaled atop a terrace where they enjoyed an unforgettable bird’s eye view of the Bouregreg and the Oudaya. ✦
Well received by the members of French Book Club 2, the novel Samarcande by Amin Maalouf reimagines the life of the famed Persian poet Omar Khayyam, author of the Rubaiyat. The novel takes place in the 11th century, in the context of the historical events leading up to the First Crusade. Though lost forever, Khayyam’s original manuscript of the Rubaiyat contains approximately 1,000 poems, which have been preserved through the efforts of historians, scholars and translators. The plot of Samarcande centers around the dramatic journey of Khayyam’s manuscript of the Rubaiyat; through its theft at the hands of Hassan Sabbah, leader of the Assassins sect, to its loss during the destruction of the Assassins’ fortress, to its discovery centuries later, and alas to its loss once again aboard the fateful voyage of the Titanic.
Even though Samarcande is a fictional account, Maalouf portrays a seemingly accurate view of what happened to the manuscript of the Rubaiyat. He retells the tumultous journey of Khayyam’s masterpiece, and in doing so, breathes life into its ancient poems.
The members of French Book Club 2 found Samarcande to be beautifully written, meticulously researched, and a true literary treat. ✦
--Malika Bellafqih
Amin Maalouf, author of Samarcande
AIW
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Last week, the gardening group met at Malika Sakout’s home to learn insider tips about landscaping from a local professional.
Malika invited a young landscape designer named Miya Belkora to give a presentation to the group about the management of gardens. Afterwards, she answered questions from attendees. Among her many helpful words of advice, Miya discussed three techniques for mulching, or paillage (fr.), which refers to the ground covering around trees and flowerbeds using a variety of materials. Mulching helps saving water and avoiding evaporation during the summer while protecting trees and flowers from cold and frost during the winter.
As an added benefit, mulching hinders weed growth and thus improves the plants’ overall development.
Some potential forms of mulch include:
✦ Organic substances, such as dry leaves, grass clippings from the lawn (pelouse [fr.]), wood shavings, and cork (liege [fr]).
✦ Minerals, such as gravel (gravier [fr.]), and pebbles (galets [fr.])
✦ Plastic sheets
Miya also advised the group to always water before and after the mulching.
The Garden Club looks forward to trying out Miya’s techniques on their own gardens! The Club thanks Miya Balkora warmly for her outstanding and informative presentation. ✦
“AIWA” (American International Women’s Association) is a member of Women’s Clubs Overseas with special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
AIWA is a volunteer, nonprofit, service-oriented women’s club founded in 1962.
AIWA has a dual mission. The first is to support and encourage intercultural exchange and understanding. The second mission is to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need in the Rabat community.
AIWA members are women of several nationalities who are motivated and dedicated to help the needy. Most of AIWA’s funds for humanitarian assistance come from organized fundraising events.
AIWARABAT has offered a helping hand to many groups, including: a women’s rug cooperative, orphanages and homes for young girls, centers for the handicapped and the Children’s Hospital in Rabat. ✦
OUR MISSION
AIWA’s Parent Organization: FAWCOwith branches around the world
Search for us on Facebook: AIWA RABAT MOROCCO.We currently have 182 members on our AIWA FB Group. Join us. It’s a great way to stay informed and connected to your AIWA friends.
