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From
Marrakesh through the winding Atlas Mountains into the desert plains of
the Sahara and to the biblical town of Errachidia, bustling with
markets, sweet mint tea cafes and friendly school children waiting to
meet you! This is a delightful mix of Arabic culture in a North African
terrain - ideal for French or English speakers looking for a truly
fascinating cultural experience to remember.
You'll
assist in non-government schools and other learning centres, as well as
a special needs school, located in Errachidia where you'll get a true
Moroccan experience. The students come from different walks of life and
backgrounds, but many of the students are from poor, agricultural
background. Thus, the opportunity you provide for them to learn English
is very valuable, because these children don't have the advantages that
children in the more touristy cities have to learn from native English
speakers. You can make a huge difference here!
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►SUMMARY
FACTFILE |
| Start Dates |
All year round (except during Ramadan) - you choose your start and finish dates! |
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Duration |
Minimum stay 1 week and up to 12 weeks, subject to visa
requirements |
| Requirements |
No requirements needed, just lots of enthusiasm and energy! |
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Price |
Prices range from £595 for 1 week to £2,095 for 12 weeks
Full Price List and other
Currencies
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| What's included |
►Accommodation
►Meeting you at the Airport
►Food
►Transfer to your accommodation
►Full pre-departure support
►Local in-country support
and backup
►24-hr emergency support. |
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What's not included |
Transport to and from your project, Flights, Insurance,
Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and
assistance),
Return transfer to
airport |
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Who can do this Project? |
All our projects are
open to all nationalities.
Anyone aged 18 -40+ |
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The project is based in the city of Errachidia, which is situated in the
ZIZ valley, in between the mountains of High Atlas and the dessert sand
hills in South West Morocco. The landscape is dominated by red coloured
mountains, rocks and fields of stones. In the middle of this dry
environment you can find oases of palm trees which produce delicious
dates.
TEACHING ENGLISH: Overall the
level of English is low, with the majority speaking Arabic and tribal
languages. English is their third or fourth language (after French.)
However, English is becoming more and more important to Morocco due to
increased international trade and tourism.
TEACHING FRENCH: As Morocco is an old French Colony,
French is officially the second language after Arabic. Most government
work and business and other activities are conducted in Arabic and
French and printed in both languages. However as Arabic is still the
main language you find the less educated people, or the people who don’t
deal with tourist, or those who live in remoter areas outside the main
cities, will struggle with French. French teachers are always extremely
welcomed! Particularly in rural cities such as Errachidia where the
project is based. If you’re studying French this is a great place to
come and practice it. As a westerner the local people and children in
the streets and at the markets will always try speaking in French with
you first.
WORK CONTENT:
You’ll work in a school in Errachidia and your role will be to assist the children to
learn English or French.
The
school that you'll assist in is for students between the ages of 8 and
20 years old. The
schools usually have around 70 students. Overall the level of
English is low, with the majority speaking Arabic and tribal languages. English
is their third or fourth language (after French.)
However, English is becoming more and more important to Morocco due to increased
international trade and tourism.
None of the schools have state-of-the-art equipment, but
they do all have electricity!
You'll
work as an assistant in the language lessons, teaching English or French. The
school really needs volunteers and the students will benefit greatly
from your help!
You’ll walk or cycle to school, which
shouldn’t be more than 2km away from your accommodation.
RAMADAN:
During Ramadan all cafes and many activities are closed and
placements are not available during this period. However, you can use
the time to go travelling and exploring around the country. The dates
for Ramadan are as follows:
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Tuesday, the 9th of July and will continue for 30 days until
Wednesday, the 7th of August, 2013
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS:
There are 5 school terms in the academic year which generally run as
follows:
- Term 1: Around 6 September to 14 October,
followed by AUTUMN HOLIDAYS
- Term 2: Around 10 November to 20 December
(Harvesting Feast 19th to 20th Nov), followed by
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
- Term 3: Around 4 January to 19 February,
followed by WINTER HOLIDAYS
- Term 4: Around 7 March to 23 April, followed
by SPRING HOLIDAYS
- Term 5: Around 9 May to 1 July, followed by
SUMMER HOLIDAYS
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
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An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into the
diverse culture in Morocco and Northern Africa.
The enormous satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and
knowing that you made a difference to them.
New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding
of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional
development.
An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head
and shoulders above most others in the job market
And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!
LOCATION:
Errachidia is most likely like nowhere you’ve
ever seen before (unless of course you’ve been
somewhere similar!) It’s almost as if you’ve stepped
back to biblical times. Entrancing markets,
colourful and hypnotic and not a western store in
sight and that includes 7/11, Starbucks and
MacDonalds – yes it’s true!
Errachidia is an Islamic country and the city itself
is traditionally Islamic. The people are
exceptionally friendly and open and though you’ll be
expected to cover your body in your dress, it is
liberal enough that non-Islam visitors are not
expected to cover their heads. Alcohol is prohibited
in Morocco and whilst westerners can find alcohol
and drink it in hotels, we suggest you try and get
into your mint tea instead! Travellers volunteers
are urged to abide by the rules of the culture and
to not expect a party placement here!
MINT TEA: there is nothing quite as delicious as the
local tea speciality when travelling, whether Chai
in India, Green in Japan or Mint in Morocco it will
always taste better than you can ever transport
home, or quite believe. For entertainment Moroccans
drink this in coffee shops with exquisite Moroccan
teapots and shot glasses. The mint leaves are mixed
with a healthy handful of sugar lumps and heated by
stove, poured back and forth a few times and then
downed. A lovely ceremony!
The region of
Errachidia is a cultural and linguistic mosaic.
Every tribe, every valley, every village has its own
unique characteristics, identifiable by its music,
architectural features and its customs. Ethnic
diversity is considerable with many races and
colours in evidence: the Chorfas Alaouites, natives
of the Arabic peninsula mixed with the Berber tribe
of Ait Morghad (from the region of Goulmima), the
Ait Izdeg (the area around Rich) and the Ait Atta
(around Aoufous).
Errachidia is a simple
city, with many cafés, mosques, some hotels and
restaurants, internet cafés, shops and a few
swimming pools. People move around the city by
bicycle, motorcycle or ‘petit taxi’s’. In summer in
daytime the streets are quiet and everybody stays in
the houses. The quiet of the day is a contrast to
the lively of the evenings. In the evenings
everybody, man, women, youth and children go
outside. Many of them stay at the ‘rond point’, a
field of grass in the middle of a roundabout. The
palm trees around the roundabout make the place a
little bit cooler than the rest of the city!
QUALIFICATIONS:
You need just a good grasp of conversational English or French to
do this project. Don't worry about not having
special qualifications. The whole idea of Travellers
is to provide any help possible, whether it is
merely enabling children to hear pronunciation and
natural grammar to help inspiring the kids to speak
conversationally with you and each other. Other
works will include providing additional help with
other academic subjects or showing them how to use a
computer – in fact anything you can offer is very
much appreciated and don’t worry - everyone knows
you're not a qualified teacher (unless you are one,
in which case great!). The emphasis is on
much-needed language development, additional
learning and cultural contact. It gives your pupils
valuable experience. You’ll also make school more
fun for them!
Don't worry about not having special qualifications. The whole idea
of Travellers is to provide any help possible,
whether it is merely enabling children to hear
English pronunciation from native English speakers,
or providing additional help with other academic
subjects or showing them how to use a computer -
anything you can offer is very much appreciated and
everyone knows you're not a qualified teacher. The
emphasis is on much-needed language development,
additional learning and cultural contact. It gives
your pupils valuable experience.
We provide you with a Teaching Guide and Suggestions
which will help you plan lessons and advise
on inexpensive resources to take with you. Children
are always fascinated with volunteers and want to
learn as much as possible about you. They love to
hear stories about you, your family and where you
are from so it is ideal to take pictures, maps,
magazine articles and photos of your family and
friends with you. You can also use these as
excellent resources for a lesson to promote
discussion and interest
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Got any questions? Please
email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com
Local Kids playing Soceer with Volunteer
Aizhan Shorman
Donkey carrying dates to be dried in the
sun
Got any questions? Please
email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com
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