Change lives and volunteer in Morocco 2013 - 2014

What's included

Accommodation: Volunteer accommodation in a shared volunteer house in Marrakesh, local support team organise the weekly schedule for all volunteers.
Airport pick-up Pick-up from Marrakesh airport is automatically arranged for £10 as soon as we have your flights. Volunteers also have the support of a local coordinator to help with placement organisation throughout their stay.

We consider this project ideal if you...

• You are on a budget or if you want more spending money when your out there. Easyjet and Ryanair both fly to Marrakesh meaning flights can be booked for as little as £60 return!
• Want to experience the 'real' Morocco alongside the favourite tourist haunts.
• Would like a placement where you can take time out to explore the souks, the kasbahs and perhaps take a weekend visit into the sahara.
• Don't have any experience of volunteering overseas but would like to try Morocco before heading further afield at a later date.
• Are under 18 and travelling with a guardian or school/college group for the first time abroad.

What's not included

Flights (most used carriers are Easyjet,Ryanair,British Airways in order of preference)
Insurance
Return Airport transfer (ask the coordinator to request a taxi or take the airport shuttle bus, airport is only approx.15 mins away from volunteer houses)
Local Transport around Morocco
Meals

Highlights

Group volunteering means you will never be on your own

Volunteer houses in Marrakesh all within pedestrianised part of old town approx 15 min walk of main square, so no need for buses/taxi to see Marrakesh highlights as all within easy walking distance

A dedicated local support team, there to help you. Volunteer in breathtaking locations from Souk to Berber village.

Food

Morocco, a self-catered project, enables you to choose what food you would like to buy and prepare yourself in the communal kitchen available in the volunteer house. Food and meals are very cheap in Morocco and there are plenty of cafes and supermarkets/shops, which are all within walking distance.

Local support

A dedicated, friendly local support team is always on hand in Morocco; made up of volunteer placement co-ordinators, drivers and house-keeping staff. All the local co-ordinators are easily reached or contactable when you need them.

Project resources and advice

Volunteers tend to take lots of different things to Morocco, as all are welcome and needed. These can include, colouring books, activity books and crayons for the children, educational materials, children’s clothing, different sports or arts and crafts equipment and A4 paper (which is rather limited in Morocco.) Contact us closer to your arrival to find out what is needed at the time of your visit, as needs and what volunteers bring can change from week to week. This helps avoid having a cupboard of Connect Four games for example.

Getting around

Getting around Morocco is fairly easy, using bus and taxis although in your free time in Marrakesh most places can be reached on foot. When volunteering outside of the old town, taxis are used, volunteers sharing the cost between them for each trip. Allow about £2 - £5 depending on distance to each project. If travelling on a budget, no volunteer trip is obligatory, and if you want to save the pennies enquire with your coordinator what opportunities are available within walking distance. The local support team can help you with travelling around, letting you know which transport is best and where to get it from. Volunteers always travel together to projects.

Local facilities

Marrakesh has all the local facilities that are needed within walking distance, including banks, doctors, cafes and other amenities.

Health

There is a doctor close by and a hospital should you need the use of one, the co-ordinators will help you with your transfer there.

What to take

Once you have applied and registered with Original Volunteers, you will receive an Information Pack via email that will have further details on the project in Morocco; in this email there will be a list of items to take and items that are best not to take.

Fast facts - Project information

Project Duration: Min 1 week - Max 12 weeks
Location of project: Various locations in and around Marrakesh.
Arrival Airport: Marrakesh
Activities: Helping with street kids feeding programmes, looking after and taking care of babies in orphanages, teaching children, camping and organising activities. A weekly volunteer schedule is organised for all volunteers according to a mix of local need, availability (some projects can only accept volunteers on specific days and times of the week) and the volunteer group preferences. For example, the group may at short notice go up into the mountains to stay at a Berber village to teach and explore the local culture.
Working Hours: Variable – mostly part time. Weekends free. Allow at least two days for the camel trek into the desert which is a popular overnight excursion (allow approx £70).
Getting to the project: Airport pick-up and transfer to the volunteer house is automatically arranged for all volunteers, once flights have been received. Transfer time to volunteer house approximately 15 minutes.
Requirements: Minimum age 18

On arrival

The nearest airport to the project is Marrakesh. Once you arrive at Marrakesh airport, there will be a local co-ordinator waiting to pick you up and take you to the volunteer accommodation. Transfer time to volunteer house approximately 15 minutes. When volunteering, the co-ordinator will place you all together in different groups of volunteers; this way you are never alone and will make lots of new friends.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Morocco varies according to volunteer numbers and the location of where you are volunteering. In Marrakesh, volunteers stay in the Medina, an old part of the city. Accommodation is usually a typical Riad house (older style property around a central courtyard) or Arabian styled apartment. Both types are within walking distance of the main square, the tourist hub of Marrakesh.
Family home-stays are also used when the volunteer group travels together away from Marrakesh and occasionally the group spends time camping in beautifully remote and wild landscapes. All volunteering outside of Marrakesh is optional.

Free time

A great idea when you first arrive is to take the sight-seeing bus, which is open-topped and takes you right the way around the outskirts of the city. There is a commentary available that comes in many different languages; you can choose to buy the commentary headphones when you buy your bus ticket. On hot days volunteers can visit one of the luxurious hotel pools. Exciting desert camel treks are a must do and almost all volunteers will spend a weekend doing this. In winter months, you can even go ski-ing at one of only four ski resorts on the African continent.

Not on your own

Although some volunteers travel with friends, the bigger majority travel alone. It is possible to get in contact with other volunteers before your travel, and a lot of people tend to do this. They make friends before they leave and then meet them when arriving in Morocco or some even plan to travel together and set this up themselves.
Once in Morocco you will never be alone as you are put into groups and so always have people to support and help you; along with the support team and co-ordinators who are always nearby.

Things to organise yourself

Flights to Marrakesh (top carriers are Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways)
Travel Insurance
Any resources you wish to bring (if in doubt contact us a week or two before arrival)
Food

When to pay for this project

Accommodation for Morocco is paid before you travel. An invoice will be sent by email approximately 30 days before travel, or sooner if you are travelling sooner. This is the easiest way to pay. The latest in which to do this is about two weeks before your departure. Call us if you have not received this, have sent us your flights and are travelling within the next couple of weeks.