Mounir owns Chez Mounir (meaning "house of Mounir" in French). It's a small restaurant and hotel overlooking the beautiful Paradise Beach on the Atlantic Coast. I first visited Chez Mounir during orientation in September, and learned about Mounir's story.
Paradise Beach is just south of Asilah, on the northern part of the Atlantic Coast. We had to drive an hour along dirt roads in dry, sandy mountains to reach Chez Mounir. The mountains were full of small villages with sheep and goat herders. The coastline is dramatic and beautiful, with cliffs overlooking the sea. It is largely untouched.
This is an isolated environment, not unlike many others in Morocco. Over 50% of the population lives in rural environments, even though there has been a shift in recent years towards cities, or urban environments. Natural resources in the area near Chez Mounir have been dominated by a wealthy foreigner who uses the water supply to maintain his polo field in the middle of the mountains.
