Short term volunteer travel programme in Morocco
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We offer travellers a range of carefully-selected, unique volunteer experiences in exceptional destinations. Clients can engage with local organisations who work with their communities to build a range of effective projects – projects that provide support and development for education, health and social care, conservation, wealth creation and much more. Knowing and caring for the wildlife is a focal point of our volunteer experience in Peru where, working closely alongside the CREES foundation, our clients are able to learn more about the rainforests of Eastern Peru and gain a real insight into the collaborative work being done by the CREES Foundation, Academics and The National Park to enable local communities to build a better future for themselves whilst protecting one of the world’s true bio-diversity hot spots.
By studying Amazon rainforest animals such as the endangered Blue Headed Macaw, volunteers will explore how humans impact biodiversity and crucial conservation issues and contribute to data that helps ensure these species remain protected and informing government decisions.
In St. Lucia, we work closely with the National Trust of St. Lucia. The Trust is not only the longest serving environmental and heritage membership organisation on the island, but also the only membership organisation with a legal mandate to conserve both the natural and cultural heritage of Saint Lucia.
Our Morocco project is located in the High Atlas Mountains, which features some of the most beautiful regions of Morocco. These mountains are the highest in the area, with Toubkal reaching to 4165 metres above sea level. Asni is situated in the foothills of the High Atlas and is a small town lying on the two main routes into the Atlas Mountains.
Working closely with Kasbah du Toubkal, whose vision is to develop a small Berber hospitality Centre designed and built on sustainable principles, which would compliment the exceptional site and be of benefit to visitors and local inhabitants. To protect the Imlil valley against the more negative effects of unsympathetic, rapid development. To try to ensure that the area was not subjected to a tourist monoculture, but put time and effort into sustainable projects that provide diverse employment. The aim was always to augment the quality of life whilst preserving the cultural heritage.
Community
Social Responsibility
We have been creating bespoke holidays for its clients for almost forty years. In recent times, many of our clients have expressed an interest in engaging in the communities of the destinations they visit, and learning more about the local environment and the challenges faced by the host country.
We have tailor-made a number of volunteer experiences which involve clients participating in the projects we support throughout the world. All of our projects are locally managed and have been created by local communities, for the benefit of the local community. Any support given by our volunteers will compliment local labour and resources and not compromise them. The objective of this volunteer travel initiative is to offer an experience which will be mutually beneficial for both host and visitor.
For example, our project in Port Elizabeth, South Africa gives clients the opportunity to support a number of schools which work with disadvantaged children. Working closely with our partners people and places we ensure that our clients are well-prepared and have a clear understanding of the project they are about to engage in. We aim to match the skills and experiences of the volunteers with the needs of the various projects we offer to ensure that a meaningful experience is enjoyed by all involved.
In our project in Morocco Education For All has been established to help provide the opportunity of a college education for girls from rural Moroccan communities. Its first project, opened in 2007, has been to facilitate access to secondary education for up to 36 girls from the remote villages of the High Atlas Mountains by building a boarding house for them in the town of Asni.
In September 2009 they opened a second boarding house in an even more remote area of the High Atlas 100km from Marrakech in the town of Talaat n’Yacoub. This will—over a 3-year period—provide the opportunity of college education for a further 36 girls who would otherwise not have this opportunity.
It is important that our preparation process is mutually beneficial, insofar as both the volunteer and the project are furnished with useful information on the other party. We have an in-depth conversation with the volunteer to understand as much about their professional skills and personal experiences as is relevant. All clients must undertake a Criminal Records Bureau check as many of our projects involve working within a childcare initiative. We furnish all of our volunteers with information about the local culture and the local community, including basic language skills. We set the client’s expectations regarding his or her engagement in the project and tell them about the project’s history, its objectives and how it operates.
We share information about the traveller with our local project managers so that each party is able to make the most of the volunteer experience. Due diligence is undertaken on each of our projects to ensure financial accountability and transparent, effective governance.
