Volunteer Abroad in Marrakesh (Marrakech), Morocco: Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Abroad in Marrakesh (Marrakech), Morocco: Our projects are located in Marrakesh (Marrakech), one of the Imperial cities and the capital of the south of Morocco. It is a city of immense beauty, low, red and tent like before a great shaft of the Atlas Mountains. As a historical and cultural crossroad, Marrakesh (Marrakech) offers a diverse mix of Berber, Oriental, and Spanish-Moorish artistic culture which is proudly displayed in the architecture and the decoration of the entire city. Marrakesh (Marrakech) comprises both an old fortified city, the Medina and an adjacent modern city.

The largest traditional market can be found in Marrakesh (Marrakech) and one of the busiest squares, the Djemaa el Fna. The square buzzes with acrobats, story-tellers, snake charmers by day; and by night the square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life.

The people of Marrakesh (Marrakech) are renowned for their warmth and sociability, their humor and directness. There is a greater openness too, with women enjoying a more public presence, often riding mopeds around on the streets. Even at its heart, Marrakesh (Marrakech) feels more like a collection of villages than an urban center, with quarters formed and maintained by successive generations of migrants from the countryside.

Poverty is essentially a rural phenomenon in Morocco. Almost one in every four people living in rural areas is poor, compared to one in ten in urban areas. This brings many people to the large cities like Marrakesh (Marrakech) in search of a better life and work. There is high unemployment and poverty in Marrakesh (Marrakech) and our programs are focused on helping disadvantaged children and orphans and supporting education in the community.

We offer the following programs in Marrakesh (Marrakech):

Orphanage Assistance:

Volunteers help to improve the quality of life for children in a large orphanage (over 350 children) in the center of Marrakesh (Marrakech). The children and staff are French and Arabic speakers. The staff simply does not have time to provide the individual care and attention that the children require. There is a great deal volunteers do to contribute to the general care and support of the children's French education. You will spend 3-4 hours each morning teaching in French different subjects to different age groups. The children range in age from 6yrs to 20+. The daily work depends a lot on the ages of the children you are working with. Volunteering means working side by side the local teachers, playing games, organizing educational activities and offering the children the vital one-to-one attention which they crave. The older children often require help with French language, homework, support with developing social and life skills and you may also find yourself teaching some basic English lessons. Volunteer help not only stimulates the children but also alleviates the stress felt by the overstretched staff.

In the afternoons you will volunteer 3-4 hours at a village orphanage located about 10 miles outside of Marrakesh (Marrakech). The staff at this orphanage are English, French and Arabic speaking, as well as the children at this orphanage are taught English. At this orphanage there are approximately 50 to 60 kids, ranging in age from 5 to 10, mostly boys. They are children in very difficult circumstances (alcoholic parents, neglected, abused...). You will help the local staff an counselors with educational activities, teaching English, as well as recreational games.

This schedule may vary, depending on the orphanage and staff schedules, holidays and unforeseen events. Volunteers must be open to the possibility of changes to their schedule, but anticipate 35-40hrs of volunteer work each week.

**This is a very independent program, where volunteers live at a local hotel, have meals on their own and must use public transportation to/from the orphanages each day. The hotel is located less than a mile (20-25 mins walk) from the orphanage in Marrakesh (Marrakech). In the afternoon program you must take one bus (about 20 minutes) to the town of Tamesloht. Volunteer are required to travel everyday by themselves to and from the orphanage program. During day 1-2 of the ABV orientation, the ABV Project Director will accompany you to both orphanages, make introductions and show you how to take public transportation. After day 1-2 during the rest of your program the ABV Director will check in with you at the orphanage, and be in contact via phone 2-3 times a week. He is available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

*Due to the independent nature of this program, please consider the day to day logistics before applying for this program. This program requires a volunteer with an independent nature, a mature attitude and the initiate to work/travel alone in the projects.