I arrived in Morocco at the beginning of September, at first feeling slightly bewildered and out of place especially as I hadn't spoken a word of French all summer and didn't have the vaguest clue about Arabic. However, this soon changed as everyone was so welcoming, understanding and helpful. I settled in quickly with my family, the Birouks, who are fantastic and I'm really going to miss them as well as all the other great friends I've made here when I go back to England in a few weeks. Originally I had only planned to spend 3 months here but over time came to the decision that I really wanted to extend it to 6 months due to the wonderful experience I'm having here and also the feeling that I will be able to contribute more by being here for a longer time. As a result, I'm coming back to Morocco at the beginning of January, incha Allah!

At the moment I'm volunteering in the preschool classes of the Wifaq school with the two other volunteers, Philipa and Julian, who are also here. The children (aged 3-6) are adorable and the teachers are inspiring in how much they manage to do with the resources they have (which isn't a great amount as the preschool is funded by GMH as there isn't public preschool provision in Morocco). We have taken on the task of helping decorate the classroom, organising some little activities and games and singing songs. We also had a party at the preschool for Julian's birthday a week or so ago, which was a highlight as the children seemed to have a lot of fun dancing and playing games...and the look on their faces when Philipa presented her present to Julian - a pie in the face - was priceless!

Philipa and I are also volunteering in the mornings at the Lalla Amina orphanage, working particularly with the babies and toddlers. I've found this a really rewarding experience and have fallen helplessly in love with the children, particularly two little boys called Salah and Hassan, who are about 1 year and 8 months respectively. In fact, in the past couple of weeks Salah has just started walking (and running!) on his own and it's really amazing to see them all develop. Reflecting on how much we've been able to build up relationships with these little kids is quite moving - the first few days were slightly difficult (especially learning to change nappies - a new experience for me!) but now as soon as we enter the room they all come flocking over to us. Quite a few of the children are at some stage in the process of being adopted, and seeing them leave is difficult and emotional - knowing that they are going to a family where they will hopefully live happy lives is really fantastic but they always leave a gap behind and are missed once they've gone!

Anyway...thats enough for now I think as I'm planning on taking a walk through the souks and then going into the hammam this evening - however this is NOT a public hammam but the one my family have on their roof terrace... going to a public hammam is one of the only customs here I have yet to take part in and am quite happy to keep it this way although I'm sure I'll cross that bridge at some point during my stay here.

Georgia

Comments

I find it hard to believe that two and a half months ago I was at home preparing for this trip, a little unsure and nervous as to what was in store for me; because the hospitality and generosity of the members of GMH and the Moroccan people in general couldn't have dissuaded any worries more efficiently.

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable twelve week stay in Morocco, the work tough but hugely rewarding. I've met a whole spectrum of different people, and made some good friends. I'm already envious of any future volunteers who have this experience to look forward to!

Comments

I initially came as a tourist for a trip and decided to do a little research regarding worthwhile programs available to foreigners. I enjoyed Morocco after completing a standard 2 week tourist loop from casa to meknes, the sahara and finally essaoira where I was accepted and finalised my placement here. It is a great way to get so much more from Morocco than a 2 week tourist flyby and an opportunity to put something back in.

The work is rewarding but I have personally found it initially quite challenging although you soon adjust to the demands placed on you. I can recommend the experience to those looking for a mixture of cultural exchange, volunteer work and community interaction.

Comments

Five weeks have gone by since I first arrived in Morocco. The induction course flew past, and since then David and I have got down to working in the Lalla Amina Orphanage and the Al Wifaq Pre-School. We alternate our time at each institution, so I spend mornings at the Orphanage and afternoons at the Pre-School, and he does the opposite. I think the balance of this is just about right - I find caring for the babies in the Orphanage rewarding yet extremely tiring.

I think that one of the best reasons to come out to Taroudannt with MCT is the pastoral system. Being lodged with a Moroccan family allows a unique opportunity to learn about Moroccan culture and society. So far I've felt completely at ease in the hands of the members of GMH.

Six weeks to go!

Comments

A couple of days ago Auriel and i were taken to Agadir. Which i found to be alarmingly simular to a day in Brighton or anyother see side town. We had lunch with the family of one of a GMH member. It was a fantastic meal and as another platter was brought in i exclaimed ' oh my giddy aunt'. 'What means giddy aunt?' Fouad wanted to know. After lunch we were dressed up in the families berber clothes. Which is a great honour so im told. We looked indescribably funny and i really struggled to take the event seriously. The wieght of the jewellery was emmence and it was a real effort to get to the door to pose for pictures.

I do feel really happy here and i feel like ive learnt a lot. I have travelled and lived in some Arab countries before but ive found this to be an entirely different experience. Before i was living with families and going to university which meant i saw how family relationships worked. But here in Morocco i feel that im getting a really good overall view. Its such a privaledge to live and be around people who are so comitted to bettering the lives of people in their society. They have really good strong values. Its an insperation.

My family here are the beas knees too. Many a night we sit up chatting about the world, Morocco, England, culture. Weve had some great conversations, among my favourites: Freedom of speech. Abdullah travelled to England last year with Africa trust and is generally very open minded and easy going. His wife Siham has never left Morocco and has had a limited education. Its amazing to watch the look on her face when he tells her about what he saw in England. The best being when him and other volunteers stumbled across a nudist beach. They hadnt understood the sign half way up the beach and had wandered into what must have been a very embarassing situation for them. Siham almost fell off her chair laughing.

If any one is reading this and is humming and harring about coming out here i say do it. I was sceptical about the organization before i came but all my doubts have since vanished. They are doing a fantastic job here. This certainly isnt Marakesh but its a good town and not too overwhelming. The souq is big enough to lose your way in but small enough not to panic in. There arnt too many tourists either which i think is a bit of a blessing and we've really been taken care of. What more can you ask for?
Antonia

Comments

Hoping you,ve enjoyed the small note...have a mint tea awaiting me now that i do o so love yaaloo to all potential volunteers(and past!) love from the mud red walls of taroudannt,poor yet smiling children and the maroccon warmth of all in GMH that are creating these possible horizons.
p.s come here!

salaam alaykoum,

auriel
href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/p2061650/2329711" title="P2061650">

Comments

Toilets in Taroudant are generally like they were all over France 20 years ago- a porcelain hole in the ground.However, toilet paper is usually supplied, and a tap on the floor with a little bucket. One assumes teh squatting position, whilst paying particular attention to one's whites. When the deed is done, remember to use the tap and bucket provided to wash your hands and wash away your waste.

An important thing to note whilst packing is that you will most probably suffer from diarrhea during your first one or two weeks. Fear not! Your yearning for an English toilet will soon be fulfilled. When you are least expecting it and just when your thigh muscles have straightened an English toilet will appear.

However, the luxury of a hole in the ground in a room with a door is nowhere to be found in the beautiful surroundings of the Atlas mountains. After a bumpy four hour journey in the back of a pick-up, on roads barely wider than a goat track, we were shown to our "toilet". This was a multipurpose stable equipped with eery darkness, several sheep and some goats a horse next door, two cows and a clutch of chickens. No bucket here...

If however this is not to your liking, a short walk a la nature is advisable. Don't wait until you are desperate though!

Whilst we are on the subject we'd like to tell you what we discovered at the tannery. Our purchases (a trendier than Topshop bag and a pair of sandals) were made with the help of pigeon poo. The acid of which apparently softens the leather.

So talk about it however you like, use all the euthanisms you like, at the end of the day, when nature calls, you have to answer.

Christina 2007 and Shafiqa

Comments

Prepare yourselves for some shocking typing errors; this email is not for the avid readers of "Panda Eats Shoots and Leaves." The following is my first blog entry for Africa Trust.

How can I describe such an experience? Photographs help enormously to convey the surroundings but sadly they cannot communicate the warm (ho hum) atmosphere! Never before have i appreciated just how flexible the hour can be. If you wish to meet at a particular time, or even within 20 minutes, it is necessary to specify "European time."

Rather than attempting to describe every action of the last ten days I'd like to give you some idea; f you don't already have one; of my experience of the friendly Roudanise attitude. I never expected to feel so at home, or at least so relaxed; so quickly. When I boarded the airplane 10 days ago Morocco was a void and two months a seemingly infinite amount of time. Now though,I have already become quite attached to Taroudannt and when I think back to my nerves on departure I can safely render them quite unjustified. However it would be wrong to give the impression that i have become used to all the goings on! Each day brings with it a multitude of surprises, and I'm quite sure they could continue in the same manner for some months!

The program seems to change hourly and occasionally...more often than not....the explanation doesn't quite breach the language gap. Worry not thought I never feel in the slightest bit neglected! I think the house key is possibly my most proud possession, it's the key to my Moroccan family and home! (Not that I'm not missing you both Mummy and Daddy!!!)

An introductory blog would be incomplete without reference to mint tea and the ceremony that surrounds it! The water goes into the silver tea pot then the tea then the desired amount of tea leaves and finally enough sugar to make a small sponge cake. The pot is left, peered into, left again, poured out; tipped back in, peered into, poured out again into little glasses from such a substantial height that if the wind were to gust then i feel sure the tea would become a new pattern on the table: Finally it is drunk. As for the taste it improves with experience! The first day it tasted a lot like heated up mouthwash....now it resembles mint flavoured glucose..

I fear another meeting with the silver teapot awaits at Abdulla's house and so I must be gone. I would like to devote more time to my description of the orphanage and the work of gmh and a few reflections, but all that shall have to wait.

I hope you've found this interesting

Christina 2007 xxxxx

Comments

We've done a lot already and our two introductory weeks are nearly over. I've found the Dialect Arabic lessons the most interesting though I have no idea how I'm ever going to pronounce the sounds properly!!! I can't even pronounce my own name correctly! Christina and I have been practising though we sound like chickens when we do!

Before I finish, I'll tell you about our trip to Taraghzout which is a little village near Agadir. It was very pretty and calm near the sea. But my favourtie has to be the transport we used. There seemed to be no way of knowing when or where the taxis could come. So, we decided to get a bus. Chris had warned us beforehand about what it would be like but it was the most fun journey I think Ill ever go on. The bus appeared and there was a mad rush to get onto it - one guy even got in through the bus window!! The atmospehre was great with the traditional singing and music. I cant wait to go on one again!

Basslama!

Shafiqa xxxxxxxxxx

Comments

Similarly, volunteer donations have been enormously useful at the Lalla Amina orphanage, which continues to do very important work. Some of the children will be able to go away to the colonies de vacances during the summer - an exellent break from Taroudannt!

Comments

My final class was even more fun. I taught the children how to upload digital pictures (unsurprisingly, none of the children possess digital cameras- but maybe following Morocco’s development, things will have changed…we can hope!) and then open them in Paint. My focus on Paint was the last section of my programme which had previously taken in Microsoft Word, Excel and a touch of Powerpoint. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the most enjoyed, though Word too was very popular, especially with the use of WordArt, different fonts, colours and pictures. The kids are more than happy to have a go at learning the basics of using computers- the latest technology, webcams and headsets have landed in Moroccan cybercafes littering the streets, and surfing the web and chatting by MSN have become adolescents’ favourite pastime! It was a big surprise when I first got to Morocco to discover that broadband and Pentium 3 computers could be found in cybers everywhere. The other shops to be found pretty exclusively consist of fruit and veg stalls, all-purpose foodstore shopfronts, carpenters, hairdressers, bike repairmen and cafes- all age-old services. Moroccans are becoming increasingly computer-savvy, so providing IT lessons, especially to children who have not previously had access to computers, are useful for the community and are met with eagerness from the children.

That said, my final lesson with each class did turn into riotous affairs. I’d taken each group to the garden where I took a series of pics of them, before loading them up into Paint, where they could draw clown’s noses on each other and transpose their heads onto each other’s bodies to their heart’s content. It was very enjoyable, even if I did take exception when my head was drawn into the fray (as it were) and placed on the body of a particularly rotund little girl! Getting the kids to leave the room at the end of the final lesson was particularly difficult, with my tactics of locking the children in for a few seconds seemingly not going down well with a fellow member of staff…Oh well. It was sad to leave the children, but I hope to return to Taroudannt to see them- and, with any luck, they will have been able to take on what they have learnt and use their new knowledge for other subjects (or impressing their friends in chatrooms)!

Comments

Much of my day, therefore, is spent spending individual time with the children (they each have such different conditions that group activities are difficult), putting them in situations where they can have fun, or alleviating the routine in enjoyable ways. On top of that, I've also taken on the role of feeding Fadua, who is severely physically disabled. The tasks are so vital and so necessary to the wellbeing of the 6 children- the women who keep them are so permanently busy washing, cleaning, feeding, folding clothes and the like that they are too overrun to do much of this themselves. It's an enriching but difficult job- I've really enjoyed it, particularly as a break from the more intellectually demanding teaching (very enriching too, for different reasons) on the other days of my week!

Abdellah, as I say, is an autist, and very creative with it. I've spent a number of hours playing with him and little Bouchra, constructing little towns with duplo bricks. Abdellah also loves to draw, and knocks out sketches of the town, its walls, mosque minarets peeking over them, on a daily basis! I find the best teamwork is for me to draw an outline of a sketch which is to his liking and for him then to fill in the outline. The walls of the house are now covered in his proudly exhibited work!

Bouchra, I have to confess, is my favourite. She is a very affectionate young girl who takes delight in approaching strangers during our short walks together round town, as I take her to see some of the world beyond the orphanage walls. I'm pretty sure she has a bit of a thing for big machinery as well, as once she spots a coach, a truck or even a horse-drawn carriage, there'll be no moving her for a while! She is very friendly and obedient, although she's gotten a bit cheeky of late, laughing at my oustretched arms telling her to "come here!" ("ajee!" in Moroccan dialect) so we can head back to the house in time for the children's lunch. It's going to be hard to leave her, as she benefits from my presence perhaps the most.

Issam, a young boy of nine, is by turn friendly and a bit worrying. He's very active and spends much of his time trying to climb out of windows- the house, luckily, is a bungalow- in order to escape into the orphanage grounds and spend time outside, chasing cats. I spend a good part of every day taking him for walks or running after him. I've found bringing in a football keeps him occupied for a while. Indeed, it does all the children, but they haven't yet grasped the idea of "teams"- perhaps a bit ambitious on my part!

Aziz is seventeen years old and effectively fully grown. He loves music, handclapping and dancing and so activities are focused around that. Mostly, he is good-natured and well-mannered- Hemdullilah (thank God)- as when he wants something he can be pretty forceful! The principle method for calming the children is to offer them sweets. It works, but I can't help but think that the theory needs to come on a little! Methods for caring for the children are rudimentary, sadly. Khalid, another young boy who is normally no trouble and who, for a skinny child, puts away some of the biggest plates of food I've ever seen, normally has his hands tied behind his back to prevent him from trying to pull at his ears. He has already managed to remove most of one lobe, so his movements are restricted for his own good. So far, this "technique" has worked too- but it is hardly anything more than expedient, and medical diagnosis does not enter into it.

The ultimate objective of the work for the children is to keep them, take care of them and feed them. Beyond this, very little is achieved and they have no hope of integration into society. That's why it is so important for volunteers to come in, play with them, give them love and take them for walks outside. Of the three projects AfricaTrust and Groupe Maroc Horizons offer to help groups of disabled children, this is probably the hardest on a personal level, as conditions are difficult. However, it is rewarding, and most of all, it is very much necessary, for the children and to help the women carers of the orphanage. It's been a highly valuable experience and will stay with me for life!

Comments

So I have last minute shopping on my To Do list (gotta buy a gift for granny), Essaouira music festival next weekend - LOVE Essaouira, definately a place to visit if any budding volunteers are reading this.. And finally I'm going trekking for four days in the Atlas mountains with my dad before catching the plane home July 4. Busy schedule eh?

Christina

Comments

So you want to know what Ive been up to all this time? Work wise, up until three weeks ago, I had been helping out in the Baby Unit of the orphanage, Lalla Amina, full time. Which mostly involved changing dirty nappies, bathing, clothing, feeding and (importantly) playing with the babies, who at the moment range from 5 weeks old to 3 years. I say -at the moment-, because babies are regularly coming and going. Numbers are actually diminishing. Lots of children are being adopted, even the boys, which is a very good thing. But of course bonds are formed, and its difficult to say good bye, even when its clear they are going to a loving home. The youngest child, Afaf, is 5 weeks old now. Shes grown before my eyes from a purple, wrinkly new-born into a chubby, pretty baby (with a good pair of lungs). Working in the Baby Unit is certainly good training for future family life...

Ive recently started a new placement at the Mansour Debit school, taking over from Hannah and assisting with a deaf/mute class. Lessons only last half a day, alternating mornings and afternoons, so now I spend half days at the orphanage and half days with the deaf class. It is a welcome change. Full days at the orphange were becoming a bit too routine, and although I have befriended many of the women who work there, I felt like I needed more variety. Like the prospect of accompanying the deaf class on a trip to Agadir and its beach! Many of the children come from modest backgrounds, and a trip to the beach is a very rare and exciting event. So much so that Habiba, their teacher, feels that it will be necessary to enlist the help of other volunteers to keep the rowdy bunch under control. Because they are unable to express themselves verbally, deaf children rely on actions to get their points across, and are often boisterous, even violent at times, to vent their frustration at not being understood. Retaliation in Moroccan culture is also positively encouraged. So if one boy hits his neighbour because he stole a stick of chalk, the neighbour will hit back harder.

Before I came to Morocco, I really had little idea of the age groups Id be working with, or their capability, but I brought along a few toys and games for the children all the same. Which have proved to be a great success. Have you heard of Scoubi Doos? They were a big craze among kids last year; I should know, I worked in a toy shop. They are long, coloured, plasic strings that you can weave together to make neclaces, braclets, decorations, figurines, anything you like! Last week I introduced them to the class and earned myself lots of brownie points. The boys took to them more than the girls, which was a surprise, considering they are pink and sparkly! The oldest boys are 13 or so, just on the brink of becoming self conscious.

Im afraid it is time for me to sign off. Ive just received a call from Sammy T saying my lunch is ready, so home I must go. This afternoon there is a bike ride planned with Sam and a couple of Belgian friends, Lies and Bernard. And tomorrow I might play tourist for a day and go swimming at the Jnan Soussia pool, catch some rays... But I promise this will not be the first and last piece of evidence youll read of my existence in Taroudannt.

Comments

Apart from showing the children how to create illustrated texts in all kinds of fonts, colours and WordArt on their home town, Taroudannt (most of which inevitably start with a proud "Taroudannt est une belle ville..."), I've begun dabbling in teaching them to make graphs on Excel. Excel, though, can be a bit boring, so I normally offset it with a period of game-playing to give me a few plus points in the personality stakes. It's actually been quite nice becoming a known figure around school, too, and little smiling children often come to shake my hand, which is heartwarming. If only they knew what I was really like, ha ha. Only joking mum, if you are reading this.

I've been very successful so far in interspersing work with little weekend breaks, and Taroudannt is blessed in being within reach of a number of very picturesque sea and mountain destinations, Ouarzazate, Tefreout and the like. Last weekend I popped off to Agadir for the first time. It is not like Taroudannt. It is a sprawling beach holiday resort, populated by those two great beach-peoples (among the many locals), the Germans and Brits Abroad. Escaping to Agadir to make use of the beach has its merits, however, and I had a really good time, apart from the sunburn I contracted. To be honest, it felt like a total break from the cultural discovery which has constituted the rest of my time in Morocco. You really have to come out here to get a real grasp of how different the Arabic mindset is, rooted as it is in Islam, and it's been fascinating discussing this with Moroccan people.

This weekend, Christina and I are heading off with many of the women who work at the orphanage to Taghazout, another beachy place. I'm looking forward to it- rendez-vous in the next blog to tell you all.

Comments

There are 12 eleven to twelve yuear old children in each of the 4 IT classes I take in a day's work, which, luckily, is a very manageable number. In addition, perhaps because Moroccan teaching is traditionally quite authoritative, they are largely very well-behaved, even though I can never be quite sure what little Abdullah is saying when he whispers in dialect to Hamza, while pointing gigglingly at me! The lessons have already been of great benefit to my French and pidgin Maghrebi Arabic, since they are held in these languages- I haven't found more than a handful of Taroudannt townsfolk (Roudanais for short) proficient in English so far. Any holes in communication are generally overcome by my dramatic gesticulations at the front of the class, at which point the expressions on the children generally turn from blankness to utter hilarity! Of course, I don't mind, because the children are laughing with me...aren't they?

The orphanage has been a challenge and a reward too, but in a different way to teaching. Having been assigned to the disabled unit, my job is to try and bring some fun and diversity into the children's lives. The situation there is on the shocking side, in that Morocco, like much of the world, has only just really begun to turn its hand to the question of catering for disabled children with any kind of systematic approach. Many of the workers at the orphanage lack formal training in handling, let alone educating, disabled children. There are six children in the house, each of a different age, with different problems- though none have received a psychological diagnosis. Volunteer help is desperately needed! Alongside two women-helpers, I have been involved in playing basic activities with the children, doing some drawings, taking them for walks and so forth. When connections are made, the work is very fulfilling. It is also quite tiring, however, and luckily, most of them enjoy listening to Rai music on the cassette player that AfricaTrust donated to the house, which keeps everyone occupied long enough for me to recuperate and start a new activity!

The week recommences Monday, and so I'll be in touch soon to tell all how it goes!

Comments

Comments

Comments

Most of the rest of the day was spent eating cake, as everyone was celebrating Aid, the birthday of the prophet Mohammed. Cue every household in town opening its doors for family and friends to come and enjoy some hospitality, mostly consisting of mint tea, and yes, more cake. Resisting the host family's encouragement to eat "more, more" has proved fruitless so far, but I'm counting on more willpower after the festival, once all the biscuits are safely out of harm's way.

I was also told of my forthcoming teaching programme for the rest of my stay, which was big news. It looks like I'll be doing Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Al Wifaq school, teaching classes of twelve young Moroccan kids basic IT and how to make the most of the computer room set up through AfricaTrust. I'm looking forward to the teaching but it looks like it might be a little tiring- being around my hosts', Rachid and Houda's children can be enough action for me! Still, the class sizes should be manageable and judging by the amount of children in cybercafes all over the place, at least some are conversant with the basics, so it should be possible to do some quite cool games and exercises. More to follow on that one.

The rest of my week- Tuesdays and Fridays- will be spent in the orphanage, organising activities for the six disabled children housed there. The conditions they are kept in are very backward compared to England, and only recently did Morocco start doing anything to aid disabled children at all. Many families simply kept children locked away in rooms, believing shame had been brought on them by their birth. So a lot of work remains to be done, but luckily the last volunteers on the scheme left posters, pens, paints, blankets and a tape recorder behind through their donations, so I'll be able to make use of all that. However, it still looks a difficult task, as the children have very different problems but live together. It's up to the volunteers to take the initiative and organise individual games and painting sessions. I'll be bringing more on my progress on that one as well!

Well, if I'm not mistaken, dinner time is approaching so it's back to Rachid and Houda's house. It must be at least a couple of hours since I last had some cake...

Comments