About Itto

Bismillah – In the Name of God, Allah the Almighty, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Salaam aleikoum, and welcome to my little world here,

I am Itto – a short summary:

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A little bibliographic excerpt of my life:

  • 1978 I was born in Southern Germany as “Stefanie”.
  • I lived a fulfilled childhood, was schooled and educated in Tuttlingen, as a Protestant-Christian.
  • 2000 – 2004 I followed my university-studies in “Interior Architecture and Design” at the FHT Stuttgart.
  • 2002 I first travelled to Morocco and did a study-internship in the médina of Marrakech.
  • I converted to Islam, was named “Itto”, and married Haddou, a mountain guide from the High Atlas.
  • 2004 – birth of our first child, completion of my studies with a BA-laureate, and then emigration to Morocco (read more here and here).
  • Since 2005 I am living in the Ait Bouguemez valley, Haddou’s homeland, in a very isolated area on 1800m altitude.
  • 2006 – 2018 – births of our other children (in total three boys and two girls, all home-birthed, alhamdulillah!),
  • two of our kids are highly hearing-impaired – so sign language and deaf-culture are part of our family’s multilingual life.
  • 2005 to 2009 I worked in the tourism, in community projects and with the village women.
  • 2010 we founded and opened a primary school in our own living room, the école vivante.
  • We developed it into a social educational enterprise and I worked ten years as an arts teacher there.
  • From 2014 to 2020 we continuously extended the project into a educational community campus with kindergarten, primary and middle school, and a permaculture research-site.
  • Until today, I manage, lead and develop, together with my husband, the social-educational-company campus vivant’e
  • We offer here a place to learn and to grow to all, we offer many work-places, we empower local people and together we lead the campus into a sustainable and promising future, inchaallah.


This blog is a journal of my personal development and the many different fields of my action and interest.
I started it in 2008 to connect with others, to keep in touch with far-away friends and family, to inspire (as I have been so inspired by other blogs), and to tell about the beauty of Islam and about my life in Morocco, in a rammed earth house and amongst a still very traditional Berber-tribe, the Ait Bouguemez-Imazighen-people.

Blogging is a monologue-thing and since then this blog has changed a lot, just as my life and myself did, alhamdulillah.
I write mostly to reflect myself and to get a more distant view on my own way – Putting thoughts into written words helps me to process things.
Sometimes it’s also like following an inner call, when I feel that I have to share something with the world.
Therefore, my musings are random snapshots of my personal evolution and glimpses in parts of my every-day-life.

I like to see myself as a “visionary pioneer”, a “free spirit”, a “connector and lightworker” and a “peaceful lateral thinker” – I try to be true to my soul, to live up to my values and I strive to become the best version of myself – day by day.
I am in constant growth, my views change, and I mostly focus here on the good, the joy and the blessings in everything. I also try to recognize God’s gifts in everything – that is how I go through my days and that is what helps me surviving also the struggles and the hard times, alhamdulillah.
I am ready to risk, to fail, and to get up again.
I deliberately choose my own way, guided by the Muslim faith and lead by strong values .
I am a self-learner and I like to try new things and to walk unknown ways – and I love to uplift and empower others to dare so, as well.
I am happy if I can serve as a facilitator and I am honored if you like reading here, if you feel inspired and can use some of my musings for yourself.

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I also hope to encourage, with my writing, interreligious dialogue and cross-cultural respect, inchaallah and God willingly, because I believe that we can create and maintain peace only by explaining, sharing and informing, and by focusing on what unites us all.

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another.” (the holy Qur’an 49:13)

My whole life belongs to Allah and for His sake I am writing here.
I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, and that Muhammad (sas) is His prophet and messenger.

Thank you so much for your visit.
May you be blessed, and may peace and love be with you and the worlds!

xxx itto

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Comments:
Please know, that I really appreciate and read every comment you leave here. While reading them, I feel connected and always send a little prayer to you! Thank you for the words you share and the time you give, this brings me joy and encourages me to keep writing here!
But I seldom find the time to answer. So if you really need a reply, please shoot me an email at “itto.berber(at)gmail.com”
and I will try my best to answer as soon as possible (which can take some time).

Contact:
itto.berber(at)gmail(dot)com

Donations:
If you want to circulate positive energy and support our social work financially, please donate here:
https://www.campusvivante.com/en/support-us/spenden-en-us
– Thank you very much!

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(last update of this page: January 2023)