Volunteer in Morocco with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local team in Morocco require volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering projects in Morocco, including Teaching English, Teaching French, Childcare, Working with Women and a special program during the holy month of Ramadan.
LOCATION OF MOROCCO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The IVHQ Morocco program is based in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. In addition to Rabat and surrounding areas, IVHQ volunteers have the opportunity to work in the Atlas Mountains, Oasis, and the Moroccan desert.
START AND DURATION OF MOROCCO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The IVHQ Morocco program begins on the first and third Mondays of each month, except during the month of Ramadan (over which time the Ramadan Program is held). Volunteers can choose to volunteer for durations ranging from one week to six months.
MOROCCO VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be 18 years or older on the program start date and have at least a high school education. Volunteers who wish to participate on the Ramadan Program do not need to be practising Muslims, however they are required to observe Ramadan customs while in Morocco. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Morocco.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Arabic and French are NOT prerequisites for the IVHQ Morocco program, however on certain placements the volunteer work will be restricted for those with limited Arabic and/or French. Teaching English volunteers must be fluent in English and Teaching French volunteers must be fluent in French. Volunteers on the Working with Women project must have an intermediate level of French or Arabic. Volunteers can take advantage of Arabic and French lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our program staff in Morocco.
HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?
MOROCCO VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS
MOROCCO VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING ENGLISH OR TEACHING FRENCH
Although the Moroccan Government is working hard to improve literacy and promote professional development through the National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD), a large percentage of Moroccan children and teenagers are not given the chance to acquire marketable skills. These young Moroccans are aware that speaking a second language will enable them to further their education and integrate well into the job market. Volunteers work with underprivileged children, providing training in English, French and information technology. Volunteer tasks include running small workshops, assisting local teachers and organizing educational games and activities. Volunteers can also assist in summer camps. When applying volunteers will need to choose either Teaching English or Teaching French; if you can teach both languages please outline this on your application form. NB Volunteers do not need to be qualified or experienced teachers.
CHILDCARE
Childcare volunteers work with special needs children and children from disadvantaged neighborhoods through organizing and engaging in activities to entertain the children and enable them to develop cognitive abilities. Volunteers design activities for the children each day and these activities include physical development activities (music and movement, toys and games) language and literature, arts and craft (painting and drawing), and theatre. The aim is for volunteers to provide these underprivileged children with new enriching and exciting activities.
WORKING WITH WOMEN
Many women in the cities and villages of Morocco suffer from poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, affecting their social environment and in turn their children’s education. Since the establishment of the NIHD (National Initiative for Human Development) in 2005, the Moroccan government has been working hard to improve education, health, culture and the promotion of income generating activities for women. The IVHQ Working with Women program aims to enable local Moroccan women to improve their literacy levels and assist with professional development. Volunteers work in local organizations located in Rabat, or in rural Moroccan villages, working with local women and young girls. Volunteers will focus primarily on education and teaching during their time in Morocco. However, other tasks can include sewing, teaching art, arranging sport and activities, providing training in French and/or English, computer training and offering academic support for girls in Dar Attaliba (House of Female Students). Volunteers with the relevant skills can also provide training in finance, management, and income generating trade activities in schools, high schools and universities and providing support to female victims of domestic violence. Finally, volunteers with a background in education can provide training to local teaching staff in best practice education and gender equality. These additional volunteer tasks are dependent on volunteer duration (longer term will have more opportunity for to get involved in these activities providing they have relevant training).
Please note that volunteers who wish to participate in the Working with Women project should have at least an intermediate level of Arabic and/or French. We recommend this to ensure volunteers have a successful placement as many of the women who volunteers work with do not speak English.
RAMADAN PROGRAM
- 9 July - 8 August, 2013
- 28 June - 28 July, 2014
- 18 June - 17 July, 2015
MOROCCO PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Morocco and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are accommodated in either a home stay or a volunteer house, where they will live with a local family or other volunteers. These families receive money from your program fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family, as this is an opportunity to learn the Moroccan way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (Darija: the Moroccan Arabic dialect) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable at all home stays and volunteer house. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers; however in some home stays volunteers have their own rooms. Moroccan food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, and as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
ORIENTATION
Orientation begins on the first and third Monday of each month and lasts for one day. Orientation is conducted by our local staff in Rabat and will cover everything you need to know for your volunteering program in Morocco – Introduction to Morocco, Moroccan customs, rules and expectations, safety in Morocco, travel opportunities in Morocco, basic Arabic/French lesson and introduction to your project and placement. The orientation gives you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers are transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
LANGUAGE COURSES
Our local staff in Morocco offer Arabic and French lessons to our volunteers with a wide variety of options. These language courses are organized during your program orientation and are tailored to each volunteer's current level of Arabic or French (program staff are also professional teachers, so volunteers find these lessons very effective and worthwhile). Past volunteers feel that taking these lessons can help you immensely with your day to day volunteer work and communicating with local people. The cost for small group classes are listed below. Volunteers interested in private classes can also arrange those directly with the local staff once in Morocco.
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with. Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows:
- 9.00am: Breakfast with the host family.
- 10.00am: Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project. Volunteers are given a duty roster and a day plan by the project staff. There is usually a tea break and lunch break. Work hours vary and are dependent on the project.
- 2.00pm - 5.00pm: End of your work day. Volunteers are free to visit local sites or go shopping.
- Evening: Dinner with the host family.
NB Volunteers taking Arabic or French language courses volunteer for half the day and spend the other half of the day taking language lessons.
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of Rabat and Morocco. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield to destinations, such as Marrakech, Merzouga (Dunes), Tinghir (Ksabah), Fes, Meknes (imperial cities), Volubilis (Roman), Tanger, and south of Europe (Gibraltar, Andalusia, Portugal, south of Spain).
Morocco Volunteer Program Fees
| Volunteer Period | Program Fee US$ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Week | 310 | ||
| 2 Weeks | 560 | ||
| 3 Weeks | 730 | ||
| 1 Month (4 weeks) | 900 | ||
| 5 Weeks | 1070 | ||
| 6 Weeks | 1240 | ||
| 7 Weeks | 1410 | ||
| 2 Months (8 weeks) | 1580 | ||
| 10 Weeks | 1820 | ||
| 3 Months (12 weeks) | 2060 | ||
| 4 Months (16 weeks) | 2540 | ||
| 5 Months (20 weeks) | 3020 | ||
| 6 Months (24 weeks) | 3500 | ||
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To convert these prices to your local currency click here. |
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What do my fees pay for?
Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go*) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Bus station pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs
What additional costs will I have?
Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, Arabic/French lessons, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, transport to placements, spending money (volunteers in Morocco generally find US$40 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses)
