From Morocco to Micro-Learning: Insights Shaping the Future of Worker Empowerment
I am back from Morocco – inspired and with so many valuable insights!
Every year, thousands of women travel from Morocco to Spain to harvest fruit, leaving behind husbands and children for many months (“circular migration”).
Each encounter during my trip gave me valuable input - and fresh ideas for how to keep our human rights Micro-Learning relevant and empowering:
Sustify is also a door to digital inclusion.
Many workers own smartphones but use them with hesitation – afraid of doing something “wrong.” For them, it’s not just about learning rights and duties – it’s also about gaining digital confidence. Skills that go beyond the workplace.
Grievances are not always about the employer.
One woman shared that she had worked for six years without ever having her own money – her husband took it all. Now, she secretly opened two bank accounts so he can’t see what she really earns. It’s not systemic change, but it’s a first step toward autonomy.
Morocco's agricultural sector is advancing quickly.
Producers are innovating across all dimensions: economic (e.g. solar-powered irrigation), ecological (e.g. fertilizer from nettles and fish waste), and social (training and capacity building). But progress comes at a price. Small farmers in remote and mountainous areas often find themselves left behind, forcing them to close their farms and seek income elsewhere.
Culture of solidarity.
In Morocco, it’s common to eat from a shared plate – for me, a symbol of connection. I liked it so much when I was invited to lunch at a farmer’s home.
On my last evening, a former seasonal worker I had interviewed arrived at my hotel with her children and small gifts, just to say goodbye.
These moments stay with me.
The two-hour drive to the airport in 35°C heat was exhausting and loud with the windows down. Inside, I felt a bit annoyed and wondered why the AC wasn’t working. Then I saw the fields, where people were working bent over. For hours. Also without AC.
Now, when I eat strawberries, I know that someone bent down for each and every fruit. Even if I can’t change the fact that many people don’t have the privilege of choosing their work – I will eat more consciously! Not just strawberries…