The aim of this project is to contribute to the education of children with less opportunity. Some of them don't have the chance to learn languages, sometimes because the classrooms are too crowded to deliver a good services, sometimes because the teachers in public schools cannot teach languages properly, as the education level was low, specially english. Also, is the students want private lessons in summer to reinforce their competences, they would have to pay a high price that the parents cannot afford in most of the cases. Volunteers coming from abroad are the best option to deliver a free service for these children and at the same time for them to get a good international experience.
This workcamp consists at the reinforcement of languages capacities of children and young with few opportunities. In this operation we will try to gather both Moroccan and International volunteers to profit the occasion to make emphasis in the intercultural exchange
The volunteers will work five days each week and get two free days, it can be the weekend or other days, this will depend on the work plan. They will teach one or two of the languages (English – French). All the volunteers will work for hours each day in the morning. Some extra activities will be organized by the association like animation with children.
The volunteers will appreciate their everyday life habits and culture through practical and social involvement. They will get in touch with national volunteers, teachers and social workers in the center so that they can get involved in the community, not only inside the center but also outside, when they finish their work.
Essaouira is a tourist friendly town and is known to be a "cool" place. Is a small town, easy to walk around. Good roads and close proximity makes it easy also to visit places of interest in the region with local transports as buses and taxis. It is easy to find accomodation, restaurants and cafés. The medina has an interesting souk. Find beach amusements as wind- and kite surfing, horse- and camel riding....or just walk along the coasts.
If the volunteer has some pedagogical skills, that will give some extra quality to the project, although they are not required to have any previous experience. We are looking for enthusiastic, positive and respectful people, who are willing to work close with people from other nationalities to learn new skills and develop new relationships in ways that they choose and at a pace they feel comfortable with. Patience and reliability are basic skills to work with children.
School lala amina 2 hay lala amina
Essaouira Bus Station. Bear in mind to contact CSM central branch (Rabat) so that we can arrange everything with our section in Essaouira, once we know your flight details, so we can give you exact indications and let our partners know when and where they should pick you up.
Essaouira has its own airport, so it would be good if they find good flight connections to get to it. Otherwise, they can get a flight to any other city and then it will be very easy to arrive by train and then by bus. There are direct bus combinations but no direct trains.
Casablanca's airport is easy to reach from most European, North American, and Asian capitols and serves several flights per day.
As for trains, check the ONCF website: http://www.oncf.ma/Pages/Accueil.aspx
The bus companies don't have a website, although if you go to the bus station you will find several going to Essaouira. As you should contact the central office first, they will find the best combination for you and arrange the meeting point.
The best possibility to reach Essaouira if you don't find a direct flight to it is to fly to Marrakech. The bus from there takes around 2 hours and a half. If you want to have a bus the CTM or Supratours can be recommended - both have comfortable busses, and both have several terminals in Marrakech, easy to find. Someone from CSM will pick you up from the bus station in Essaouira. The info sheet will be send 3 weeks before the project starts
Volunteers will be accommodated in a host family. We need to highlight a couple of things that might be a bit difficult for the volunteers, given the past experiences with them. In Morocco, is rare to find the toilets that they are used to have in Europe. In this country, the toilet is normally a typical turkish bath.
International volunteers can also ask the national ones to take them to hammam, the public baths. Its a nice experience that they will enjoy, while relaxing and enjoying the hot water and the steam, good for the skin.