Argan Care was established after Benedicte was done with her MSc thesis in 2013. She did research in Morocco to find out how employment at women’s argan oil cooperatives in Morocco has affected the daily lives of these women and their immediate family. These women had taken on paid employment for the first time in history after cooperatives started to emerge in the late 1990s. Benedicte further looked for possible changes in the women’s self-esteem and self-worth after being able to contribute to the house-hold economy and the society as a whole.
The people living in the argan forest are called Amazigh (commonly referred to as Berbers). The Amazigh people have produced argan oil for cooking for centuries. After it was scientifically proven that argan oil has highly beneficial components, both for internal and external use, the demand for this ”liquid gold” exploded internationally.
Today, there is about 150 argan oil cooperatives spread throughout the argan forest giving employment opportunities to thousands of women. The argan tree, known in Morocco as ‘the iron tree’ or as ‘the tree blessed by God’ symbolizes strength, longevity, resistance and hope. No wonder it is the theme of numerous of stories, poems and songs.
