Work camp in Rabat, Ruins of Chellah

Introduction

Chellah is a UNESCO World Heritage site, meaning its importance extends beyond the history of Morocco. The Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Youth and Sports share our belief and support the idea of international volunteers participating in helping maintain Morocco's, and Northern Africa's, historic heritage. The Roman ruins are well preserved but, like most historic ruins, hands are always needed to maintain there preservation. This is why we offer the opportunity to young volunteers to come and get to know this precious ancient archaeological site and the heritage it displays while at the same time help with its conservation.

One part of the volunteers’ job will be to assist the staff in charge of the Chellah’s maintenance with routine tasks such as cleaning grounds, emptying trash, cleaning and preparing the site for visitors, sweeping and blowing walk paths, pruning and watering plants, and sometimes painting spaces if needed and allowed.

A second part will be to assist in preserving, inventorying and monitoring natural and cultural resources of the Ruins (plants, animal and archaeological sites).

Apart from that, the volunteers can involve themselves in many other activities as they will be in contact with local people and will be able to get to know Moroccan habits and way of life. There will be a camp leader in charge of the general organization and responsibility of the work camp; this person will have the liberty to prepare/propose outings  to the participants, such as the visit of any place of interest in the surrounding area or cultural/sportive activities. Of course the volunteers can also take all kind of initiative on their spare-time and propose activities to the group.

Type of work

• Five days of work per week and two days off, not necessarily on week ends (depends on the work schedule.)

• 4 hours of work per day in the morning or in the afternoon.

• Cleaning the medieval fortified necropolis as a part of its maintenance.

• Gardening activities (cutting leaves of trees, watering, etc.)

(Basic tools activities mentioned above will be provided)

• Cooking in teams with other volunteers, both national and international.

• The association will organize some extra activities such as outings with local kids in which the volunteers can take part.

The ruins of Chellah are located 20 minutes away (walking distance) from the apartment where the volunteers will live. If the weather conditions are not appropriate or volunteers require it, we can take them there by car (we will take responsibility of transportation costs).

Study theme

- Heritage workcamp

Accommodation

The volunteers will live in an apartment in Rabat city center. They will share rooms and sleep on mats. Even though it will be summer, we recommend volunteers bring a sleeping bag. The apartment is big enough to host the group. According to the preferences of the group, it is possible to separate girls and boys in different rooms. There is a big terrace we can use to relax, have lunch and dinner outside, enjoy the sun, etc. It has all the kitchen facilities (except microwaves), television, WiFi, 2 computers, cleaning tools, etc.

We will cook 3 meals per day and will arrange shifts. Some days a group of volunteers will cook and the others will clean and vice versa. Mutual help for everyday common tasks is important.

Important highlight:  Toilets in Morocco are usually Turkish bath style. We prefer to warn you because we learned from previous volunteer experiences.

International volunteers can also ask the national ones to show them the Hammam (public baths). Actually, you should try it once at least; it is indeed a very relaxing and enjoyable experience and has many virtues for the skin.

Camp advert

The Chellah ruins are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012 and are one of the main archaeological attractions of Morocco. The need of continuous maintenance is huge and we personally consider it a duty to keep it clean and in a good state. The participating volunteers will have the honour to help achieving this task and the opportunity to learn a lot about the culture(s) of this place, which is tightly link with the general history of the Maghreb area.

Required spoken language

English+french

Camp spoken language

English+french

Language

Darija (Moroccan arabic) is the local language

Requirements

• No previous working experience required.

• Enthusiastic, positive and respectful people needed.

• Willingness to develop ties with other nationalities and learn new things, of course we encourage everyone to follow the pace they feel comfortable with.

Location

CSM IMM 13 APP 06 rue elmowahidine  Quartier  Hassan

Transport hub

• If you choose to fly directly into Rabat Airport, we can arrange someone to pick you up for 150 dirhams, otherwise the meeting point will be Rabat Ville Train Station. 

• To get to the Rabat Ville Train Station from the airport you can take the bus right outside the gate for 20 dirhams and it will leave you in front of the train station. With a taxi, it should cost you about 100 dirhams (price negotiable).

• If you arrive in any other airport of the country, you will be able to reach Rabat by train. Check the timetable and connections on www.oncf.ma

Once you have your flight details please pass them by e-mail to your interlocutor so you can arrange with him or her the meeting point.

The info sheet will be send to you by e-mail 3 weeks prior departure.