‘How can we sell our couscous and amlou?’ That was the question the five women of the women’s cooperative Istis Odwar Hassi needed help with.

During a two-day development and sales training that Marjolein Mosmans gave to this cooperative at the beginning of November, these ambitious women worked extremely hard. Their purpose is clear; they want more employment in their village of Hassi Al Bagar, near Agadir.

The women’s cooperative was recently established and the women are doing a great job, making food and sewing. For example, they make amlou (a delicious paste based on peanuts or almonds) and couscous to sell. So it was about time for the next step.

It was a very pleasant weekend in the village. Marjolein, together with Hilde Deschrijver, went to visit for tea or dinner at the homes of almost all the women. Very enjoyable and it also provides a lot of insight into the daily lives of the women. A very nice way to get to know the women better and see how they live and where their needs lie. For example, we saw in one of the women the beautiful handicrafts that she and her mother make themselves, and the need for more income. More about that is below.

The training: what do you need, to be able to sell?

The training was useful. Because who do you sell couscous to, for example? Who is your target group and where is it located? In addition to sales, there is also plenty of attention for the individual: what is your talent? What is your role? What do you need and what do you want to learn?

We learned that one of the women cannot do math (most women have only completed primary school, and a few have completed secondary school). The arithmetic lesson has now been arranged.

But the same woman was already busy selling the amlou in the hospital that she regularly visits, with one of the village’s needy people. Great to see what talent there is in the group and how support in the form of arithmetic lessons provided by the MoralCompassNL foundation can give you a helping hand.

We have also been busy with the future. Where do they want to go with the cooperative and how do they want to develop? It is incredibly beautiful to see what a powerful team the women form and how clear their vision is. There was also room for bigger plans; first selling in Agadir and for some the desire to one day sell their products in Europe. So the question was mainly; what steps will we take in the coming months to achieve the goals?

This group of ambitious women has a lot to offer! They are extremely driven and eager to learn and it was great fun to see how quickly they pick up everything.

What happened next

It is now 2 weeks later and while the women had the target to sell 20 kilos of couscous per month, they have already sold their entire stock of 26 kilos of couscous in the first week. New couscous and amlou have already been made and one of the women is busy putting the videos on Instagram to post. It is really beautiful to see what the #poweroftogether does.

New ideas for HelpLocalwithLove

What does this have to do with HelpLocalwithLove? This was also a kind of product development.

We are now busy making the first blouse for a customer: one of the women is looking at the fabric and design and calculating a price. The aim is for the first blouse to be sold. But also that we will offer this via the webshop.

In addition, the couscous and the amlou will first be sold in Morocco, specifically in Agadir (close to the village). But they dream bigger. So we are currently looking at the possibilities of also selling couscous and amlou in the Netherlands and Belgium. If you are interested, you can always contact us.

Sales training in Morocco; for more work in the village

In short; it was a very successful weekend; a weekend in which we were able to help the cooperative a little further toward earning an honest, own income. And a weekend in which we gained a lot of inspiration and ideas for HelpLocalwithLove. And a weekend with beautiful friendships and delicious food.

Would you also like to help? This can certainly be done by purchasing our home accessories. For example, the foundation offers fig plants via our site. And on Fair Friday part of the proceeds goes to our ‘regular’ charities; including the MoralCompassNL foundation.

In addition, we may also sell blouses, amlou, and couscous in the future. So if you haven’t already; sign up for our newsletter to stay informed. And continue to follow us and buy fair and sustainable products!