Souad has always been passionate about the environment. She studied ecology, earned several academic degrees, and spoke at conferences and events about climate and sustainability.
But deep inside, something always felt incomplete.
One day, after attending a panel on climate and gender, Souad shared a post on social media about what she had learned. Then came a comment that shook her. It said: “You people just collect diplomas and talk; but you don’t know the real world.”
At first, she was hurt. But then, she took a step back and said to herself: “Souad, you have the diplomas; but you need the real-life experience.”
That’s when she made a decision that changed her life: She applied to volunteer with CorpsAfrica/Maroc, the program that felt like the missing piece between theory and action.
Souad spent one year living in a small village in the Atlas Mountains; a place deeply impacted by the earthquake. She saw how a natural disaster can destroy homes, but also relationships, trust, and stability. She lived in a tent during harsh winters and under a burning sun. She felt the extremes of climate, cold nights, hot days, not in books, but on her skin.
But this experience didn’t stop at storytelling or awareness. Souad worked on real, local ecological projects.
She helped develop a medicinal and aromatic plants project, and contributed to a study on goat farming and dairy production. She also coordinated with a national institute of food industries to organize training sessions for women and men in the village.
Together, they entered the laboratory, conducted microbiological and physical milk tests, and learned to distinguish between: acidophilic bacteria, basophilic bacteria, and thermophilic bacteria.
Some of these women had never been to school — and yet they could name bacteria types and understand their effects. That moment moved Souad deeply.
She also gave trainings for local farmers on how to prune trees like olive trees, how to use sustainable farming techniques, and how to follow healthy, climate-smart agricultural practices.
Throughout these projects, Souad collaborated with several organizations such as: GDF, MBLA, VNG, FLDF, HAF, Ouverture Nord Sud, Petite Aide (a Belgian NGO), Manarat Ecologique pour le Développement et le Climat, and Al Motamir Association…
And little by little, she transformed.
Souad was no longer just a researcher.
She became a climate storyteller, and a community builder.
She now speaks from experience, not just data.
From emotion, not just theory.
From the heart, not just the mind.
