The Berbers are "Imazighen" (free people). They are considered to be the decedents of the original (pre-Arab) indigenous people of North Africa, and they have been around for over 4,000 years. Millions of Berbers still live in Morocco, scattered primarily in the Atlas Mountain region. They speak their own language and maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Most berbers are adept to live off the land, without the aid of electricity or running water.Recently, the majority of our Sunday "house group" enjoyed a weekend retreat to the GITE TIZI N'oucheg Berber Village, near Ourika Valley. This marked our third trip to this breathtakingly beautiful Berber village (Our first visit was in February of 2013, and then we went a second time in April of 2015). The purpose of this particular trip was to tithe... by charitably purchasing 920 legos.
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| Photo Credit: CCR |
The GITE TIZI N'oucheg Berber village was started by three Berber families, who likely retreated to the Atlas Mountains in order to avoid the advancing Arab conquerors. Over the span of more than 400 years, those three original families have grown the village population to approximately 600 people. The village is located closer to the Atlas foothills, so it now benefits from modern amenities. Within the last 20 years, it has obtained electricity as well as a road which connects them the Ourika Valley. The village is also making strides toward educating their youth and creating outreach programs to other, more isolated Berber villages. However, in spite of these small steps toward civilization, the village people still maintain pride in their culture and their self-sustaining lifestyle.
Rachid, one of the chief elders, organizes tours of his village and the surrounding area. He guides groups up the 2+ hour hike to the village and helps to manage the beautiful (brand new) guesthouse. Before the guesthouse was in existence, when he was mayor of the town, Rachid hosted us in his home. He is proud of his village and loves to introduce people to the Berber culture. He is also passionate about finding ways to augment their life in the village.
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| Photo Credits: CCR |
One particular project that Rachid has been advocating is the construction of a hospital. Even with the new road access, the village is still over two hours away from "civilization". The village itself, due to the lack of facilities and/or lack of education, is not properly equipped to handle complicated health issues - especially emergencies. Even childbirth has been problematic. Rachid and his wife actually lost their last baby because, when complications arose, they were unable to get to a hospital in time. The construction of a hospital, alongside better educated youth, would help to decrease the death rate in the village.
There are several doctors who have expressed an interest in volunteering to work in the village and to train people in medicine. The village is simply struggling to fund the construction of the actual hospital building. In an effort to solicit support, the elders have constructed a lego model of the hospital. Next to it is a blank board with a box of legos. Visitors are invited to purchase legos in an effort to build a replicate of the finished lego model. Every lego "stud" costs 10 MAD ($1). When the two lego models stand side-by-side, fully completed, the village will have enough money to build the hospital!
As a group, we donated 9,200 MAD to the new hospital. They still have a long way to go... but we know that our gift was received as a substantial blessing to their community. The GWA community has been in relationship with this village for some time now, and we hope that this relationship will continue to grow. This Berber village has become one of our favorite places in all of Morocco, and we would love to the opportunity to tour the new hospital during our next visit.
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| Counting up 920 legos Photo Credit: JU |
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