Film courtesy of Virgin Limited Edition
Our Craft Centres in the Atlas Mountains
Welcome to The Eve Branson Foundation in Morocco
11th January 2021
We are very sad to share that our beloved founder, Eve Branson, has passed away. Eve inspired and supported Atlas Mountain communities, right to the end of her life.
Here are some reflections from Richard and the family on Eve’s wonderful life, her work with our foundation and the remarkable legacy she leaves.
Evette Huntley Branson, 1924 - 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Eve Branson Foundation is a small non-profit based in Morocco, spearheaded by Richard Branson's mum, Eve Branson. The mission of the Eve Branson Foundation (EBF) is to provide young people with artisanal skills-training and to preserve traditional Moroccan and Berber crafts, enriching the lives of local families from Atlas Mountain communities. Since 2005, our collaborative programmes have helped to sustain livelihoods in the region and we continue to work in close partnership with award-winning hotel Kasbah Tamadot.
We must act now to support our rural community of artisans and young trainees who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Donate today to help us to sustain livelihoods and preserve cultural traditions in these precious Berber communities. Thank you.
A Message from Our Founder
"My love of Morocco and the wonderful people that inhabit it, stems back to the late 90s when my son Richard famously made a series of endeavours there – attempting to pilot a hot air balloon around the world, non-stop. While Richard was preparing his balloon for the voyage, I journeyed into the beautiful foothills of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains. Here I stumbled upon Kasbah Tamadot, an exquisite property with breath-taking views.
Richard agreed to buy the Kasbah on the condition that I would help the local Berber people living in the more remote surrounding villages. I grasped the challenge with both hands and heart, and the Eve Branson Foundation (EBF) was born.
EBF’s charitable mission in Morocco is to enrich the lives of people in the High Atlas Mountains and we have many exciting community projects and established artisanal craft training programmes focused on doing just that. As a small Moroccan charity, 100% of every donation funds frontline projects.
Tansghart was the first of our craft houses, and it was established to train young women who had dropped out of school. We now proudly run three craft centres in the area, with each centre encouraging the production and sale of artisan goods. This allows the young people to generate a small income for themselves and their families.
Alongside our skills-training centres we work with a wonderful set of partners to enable us to support community initiatives tackling healthcare, wellbeing, environmental issues and access to education.
Since the very beginning, we have worked hand in hand with the team at Kasbah Tamadot, who employ over 90 per cent of their staff from the local community to enhance living standards in some of the most impoverished communities surrounding the property.
We work in partnership with each village surrounding Kasbah Tamadot, to bring about transformations both economically and socially and have learned through mutual respect and determination, how to successfully combine our entrepreneurial spirit with the Berber culture.
For EBF to continue its work as a non-profit organisation, we rely on funding from individual donors and guest visits.
I’m thrilled to see how far the young people attending our centres have advanced and incredibly proud of their hard work. With your support, we can continue to offer young people in rural Morocco a creative and more independent future." - Eve Branson.
Watch our short film below about The Eve Branson Foundation's charitable work in the High Atlas Mountains.
