Nora Charrou - A Story of Boundless Spirit

Every evening after Nora and I are done with our various to-do lists, we mosey out of the weaving room and make our way over to the baking cooperative. We are in search of some tea and bread to snack on while goofing around and distracting the bakers in the other cooperative as they prepare for the evening bread rush hour.

As we flip through Nora's Facebook reels, sipping our hot tea and nibbling on fresh bread, a... well... funny, crude video randomly pops up on her phone. "Wooow!" Nora says. She looks at me wide-eyed, as I try so hard to keep a straight face. Looking at each other, we burst into laughter.

Laughing uncontrollably as the video plays again, blasting through the baking cooperative, Fatiha, one of the bakers and Nora's older sister, becomes increasingly impatient with us. Tears rolling down our red faces, we cackle loud like a group of hyenas.

"Baraka (enough)!" Fatiha yells at us, but the video keeps playing and Nora and I become more hysterical.

Before I know it, Fatiha is splashing us with water in hopes that we will calm down. My clothes get covered in water; it looks as if I've peed my pants. I grab my stomach, barely sitting in my chair, gasping for air between laughs. Nora throws her head back, pointing at me, howling with laughter. Fatiha keeps splashing us with water, yelling, "Ooowf you two are trouble!!!"

Fatiha drags me to one side of the room, yelling at Nora to stay where she is. "When you two get together, all hell breaks loose!!!"

Evenings like this aren't unusual. Nora and I acting like teenagers, causing mischief until we're forced to separate. For as long as I've known Nora - eight years! - she has always been a firecracker in the best possible way! She's a bubbling ball of energy that doesn't take shit from anyone!

So much of Nora's spirited personality was shaped in Ait Yahya Oualla, a small village nestled in the Middle Atlas Mountains outside of Azrou where she was born and raised. As the second youngest of eight in a large Amazigh family, Nora grew up in a home that was always buzzing with activity, siblings coming and going along with neighborhood children. Laughter and play could always be heard with Nora at the center of the action. Her mother was witty, kind, and attentive. Always making sure her children were well cared for, even the neighbors' children, while maintaining a tidy but loving household.

Unlike her older sisters, Nora completed her studies, graduating from high school. She spent a couple of years in university studying law. However, Nora eventually became exhausted by her studies and longed for her big family and tight-knit community. She eventually made the difficult decision to leave university and return to the place she felt the most comfort in, her community and family.

Nora, her Mother Aisha, and I 

Around this time, her brother Abdelhak was forming Arkhabil Association, a local NGO in their village, with the goal of advancing economic, social, and cultural development for youth and women in Ait Yahya Oualla and the surrounding rural area. Abdelhak encouraged her to participate, knowing that Nora's big, bubbly personality would be a perfect addition. She began participating in and eventually leading youth summer camps put on by the Arkhabil Association. These experiences were formative in Nora's professional development. "Summer camp helped shape me. It taught me responsibility and teamwork," she said.

With time, she rose up in the ranks at Arkhabil Association, expanding her responsibilities, including being elected Secretary of the Association. She learned how to be politically savvy, rubbing elbows with local politicians while never losing sight of her goal. As the Association expanded its programs, so did Nora.

After I finished my service with the US Peace Corps, working with rural women in Morocco, I longed for more. I wanted to continue building on my experience, and I knew Nora would be a key leader in helping me expand my projects and run Amalna Maroc. I told her about my idea: researching women-run cooperatives to determine factors contributing to both women's empowerment and financial sustainability. Nora was immediately in!

We worked late into the night coming up with a list of cooperatives we could interview. Nora, being the social butterfly that she is, knew everyone! She called this person and that person. Her phone rang non-stop as she lined up dates and times. "Chkron! (thank you) We'll see you tomorrow inshallah (if God wills it)," she says, hanging up her phone. "We've got it! Our first Cooperative to research."

I waited for Nora outside the Arkhabil Association, searching through my papers making sure I had the surveys and notes Nora and I were going to need for conducting our first round of research. Nora arrived and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Salam, how do I look?" She was wearing a thick black, furry peacoat, olive colored pants that matched her headscarf and biiig platform boots! "I ALWAYS have to wear shoes with heels! I don't know how to walk otherwise!" I laughed, gave her a wink and thumbs up and said, "Class!" She smiled and we were off!

Nora's natural born leadership and warm heart immediately shined through as she led the small group discussions with the women's weaving cooperatives. She listened attentively, carefully writing down every word. She spoke to them in Tamazight, also known as Berber, a local dialect more commonly used years ago. She encouraged the women when they felt burdened and discouraged by their exhausting schedules, balancing their husbands, children, homes, as well as their work at the Cooperative. Nora proclaimed we should get rid of all men, "Who needs them anyway?!" she says. We all burst out in laughter, nodding our heads in agreement.

Cooperative after cooperative, interview after interview. Hopping in taxis, traveling to parts of the Mid Atlas Mountains neither Nora nor I had ever been to. One time we were visiting a Weaving Cooperative deep into the Mid Atlas Mountains, a little over an hour away from Azrou, or so we thought. My old Peace Corps Regional Manager, Said, insisted I visit his sister Rabha's weaving cooperative near Boulemane, about 45 miles east of Azrou. This was only my second time coordinating an interview without Nora, who usually handled arrangements.

It was mid-March, still winter-cold, when we arrived at the taxi with dark clouds overhead. I paid our fares and we departed, winding through the Cedar forest into the Mid Atlas Mountains. As we reached Boulemane, where the landscape had turned barren, rain began pouring down. I called Rabha to announce our arrival.

"You're where?!?!?" she asked frantically.

"At the Boulemane taxi stand," I replied.

"No, no, no! Let me talk to the taxi driver." I passed my phone over, trying to appear calm for Nora's sake. After a brief conversation, he returned it.

"Rabha's not here. She is in El Mers," he informed us.

Nora and I exchanged worried glances. "Where's El Mers?"

"Chwiya (a little) far."

"How far?"

"Another hour."

"Another hour!?!" Nora exclaimed as I laughed nervously. We reluctantly climbed back into the taxi, leaving Boulemane behind in the downpour. All around us were abandoned nomadic houses scattered across barren hills. Nora kept jabbing my leg, whispering, "Where is he taking us? Watch, the taxi driver is going to kidnap us and take us to one of these abandoned nomadic houses!!!"

"It's going to be fine," I say with a nervous smile across my face.

"You always say 'mashi moshkil!' (no problem) well! Moshkil (problem)!!!! We are going to die!!!" Nora says, still jabbing my leg.

An hour later, two hours of total travel, we arrived in the tiny little village of El Mers. A woman waved down the taxi. Hmdullah (thanks be to God) it was Rabha! Nora and I hopped out of the taxi and looked around, unsure where we were. The houses were still made out of the traditional adobe clay and the road had yet to be paved. "Marhba (welcome)!" Rabha says while giving us a kiss on the cheek. She leads us to her home. We could smell the scent of chicken roasting the closer we got. "Marhba (welcome)! Marhba (welcome)!" Rabha continued to say as she guided us to her living room. There we found a massive rotisserie chicken, surrounded by a variety of different salads, little bowls of olives and hot tea on the table. I leaned over and whispered to Nora, "See, mashi moshkil (no problem)!"

She glared at me, trying to hold back a smile, and punched me in the arm. We both started laughing as we stuffed our faces.

It didn't take long for the stress and worry of our travels to wear off and our bellies full of  warm, delicious food. We spent the next several hours gathering more interviews, listening to the weavers' stories and learning about the weaving cooperative. Nora was having a great time letting her personality shine, like always!

To this day Nora loves to talk about the time we almost got "kidnapped" on our way to El Mers. She reenacts the entire adventure while I sit back with a big smile across my face, reflecting on our teamwork and chemistry, and all the fun journeys we’ve had together.

That day in El Mers and all the days following reinforced Nora's bright personality and her innate ability to connect with people from all over Morocco. Her talent for connection and openness became a driving force behind the work we were doing with the cooperatives. Throughout our partnership, I've witnessed how Nora has brought that same passion and fire she brought to her brother's Association, Arkhabil, to everything we do. Inspired by what she learned through our research, she helped her sister Fatima form a weaving cooperative and learned about different overseas markets. Nora has even helped other weaving cooperatives we visited become involved with training programs provided by Arkhabil Association.

Nowadays, Nora continues to be a powerful force for change in her community. She serves as a liaison to the Women's Training and Life Skills Programs. Teaches in the Second Chance Program for young adults and youth who never completed their schooling, and advocates tirelessly for women's rights in Morocco. She seeks out every opportunity to better develop and expand her knowledge and skills to better serve her women and her community.

What makes Nora truly special, though, is how she brings her whole self to this important work. Her goofy, fun-loving energy is a magnet, pulling in everyone around her and transforming serious challenges into shared journeys filled with purpose, determination, and joyful sprite, just like our adventure to El Mers or any average day goofing around in the baking cooperative. In Nora, I found not just an amazing collaborator but a friend, a sister whose commitment to empowering Moroccan women and her community continues to inspire me every day.