Summer Camp 2015 (“Casal de verano”), Erfoud, Morocco

My last project with ITRAN before moving to Italy was at the same time the most challenging one. I organized a a two weeks-long summer camp for around 120 kids from Erfoud province. The camp participants are not only the Moroccan kids but also around 20 international volunteers who work as the camp animators. And me on top of this all…. 🙂

I came to Erfoud one week before the camp started. I drove the whole route by car, from Tanger via Tetouan, Meknes, Atlas mountains, down to the desert, with a furgo full of material for the camp as well as clothes to be given to the poorest families in the South. A nice few thousand kilometers back and forth, stopped by the police only once 🙂

I brought a small group of Spanish volunteers with me. We came earlier to prepare the school premises, uniforms for the kids, determine the camp’s schedules, sort out the new and last year materials for the camp activities, meet with the local volunteers , and to do the paperwork so the kids could start their activities smoothly and without unnecessary delays. We also had to form 4 groups of kids, 30 heads in each, which in the Moroccan reality is not the easiest task (as many kids who weren’t selected for the camp this year would appear , often with their parents, demanding admission).

Kids waiting for the camp to start

Cleaning the school yard

Great help from the authorities in cleaning the school

Final arrangements before the camp starts

Uniforms ready to be given to the kids

The two weeks of the camp passed like one day for me. It was a super intense but also a very rewarding experience. Practically every day we had some issues and challenges to overcome, had to make last-minute schedule changes, mend holes with bubblegum and extinguish “fires”, but an overall outcome was very positive. Kids were happy, volunteers as well, no major disaster experienced 🙂

kids and volunteers happy

outdoor activities

outdoor activities

indoor activities

We couldn’t do much without the local volunteers who were translators and helped us to animate the daily activities for kids. Together with our international volunteers we made an efficient team that year 🙂

truck driver after hours

international volunteers

volunteers and local kids

 

international + local volunteers

uniforms

group meeting

Fundraising event “Bakesale in PRBB” (Barcelona)

On the 14th of July we organized a fundraising event to support the project “Casal de verano 2015”.

For 2 hours we were selling home-made cakes and coffee to generous workers and students from PRBB in Barcelona! Huge success again! 🙂

We have launched a crowdfunding project in order to finance ITRAN’s projects in 2015

If you believe in our goals and methods we employ to improve the life of the people (young girls especially) living in the poorest regions of Morocco, please support us! The smallest donation counts, with the funds we will gather we will be able to continue and expand our schooling and hygiene actions we are carrying on in Erfoud.
We have just launched our crowdfunding website where you can read about our ongoing projects and support us financially. Every donation will be awarded with a unique gift that we prepare especially for you!
Please be generous!

http://www.lanzanos.com/proyectos/ayudanos-a-frenar-el-abandono-y-fracaso-escolar/ (English version available by clicking the British flag icon).

Solidarity trip to Morroco in late March 2015 – book the date!

Dear Readers,

if you would like to join us on our trip to Morocco this year, there is an excellent opportunity! During 10 days you will learn a lot about the people of Morocco, their culture and habits. We will also demonstrate you our ongoing projects. We will pass through the cities like Tanger, Tetuan, famous Chefchaouen, Ifran, Meknes, and we will spend 4 days in Erfoud, where the majority of our humanitarian projects are based. We will visit schools in the zone of the Erfoud city and distribute hygienic materials (under the follow-up action for the project Hygiene is Health for Everyone). We will need your help in delivering the clothes and food to the people in need. You will also have a chance to meet the girls and their families selected for the Patronage Program. We will also visit and be hosted by the families of our local collaborators living in the area. Finally, we plan to spend a magic night under the Sahara stars in the hidden oasis Merzouga.

All the funds gathered during the journey will cover the costs of the trip and support the following projects of ITRAN: Hygiene is Health for Everyone and the Summer Camp 2015 (details of the latter one will be published soon!).

The trip will start on the 27th of March (we gather in the Barcelona Port) and we will be back to Barcelona on the 6th of April.

If you want to know more details about the trip, please contact us (mentioning that you learned about the trip from the blog): marruecositran@yahoo.com or + 34 653 039 788.

And the exact route will be:

We plan to go by ferry from Barcelona to Tanger, but it is more convenient for you to come by plane – we will help you to arrange it!

Hope to see you soon! 🙂

Movie from the Summer Camp 2014 is available!

If you are interested in how our work looked like, please check out the video on YouTube!

A snapshot from the movie about the Summer Camp 2014 in Erfoud

 

The link to the movie (in Spanish) here:

A follow-up trip to Erfoud in December 2014

In December a group of six girls, volunteers of ITRAN, is going to visit Erfoud. Most of them are the former participants of the Summer Camp 2014. During their trip they will continue with the hygiene project: they will give educational talks for the kids in the school of Chyahna, where last time we were not able to introduce the hygiene project; distribute the toothpastes and toothbrushes to the kids who need it; replenish educational and hygienic materials at schools; introduce the motivation system for the kids based on their record of correct hygienic behaviors; check-up the progress of the construction works launched in September in order to improve the sanitary infrastructure in Habibat and Chyahna; contact with the Japanese volunteer Sachiko in order to exchange observations and plan the further follow-up.

Spanish volunteers (Laia second from the right, standing) and Maria (first from the right, crouching) together with the pupils from the special school for deaf-mute children

If you are interested in the progress of the follow-up trip please have a look on the ITRAN’s Facebook fanpage, where the diary of the journey will be published (the posts start from 22nd of December).

Next trip will take place in February 2015!

Time to say goodbye…

I am writing this post within the last few hours I am spending in Efoud. Tonight I am going to catch a bus to Meknes where I will stay with relatives of Hbib before I go to the airport in Fez.

I started the day with a meeting with the girls from the patronage program. It is very important that all of them are present, so we did our best to notify them in advance and pick them up at the day of the meeting. It is not that easy as the girls here do not have mobile phones (they use the ones of their mothers or brothers), moreover they do not know to use the internet messenger applications. On of our goal in the upcoming year will be to provide them with mobile phones, charge they SIM cards and start teaching them to use the modern communication manners.

At 9 in the morning me, Abdess and Hbib we are ready and waiting in the car to start the ride through the villages to pick up the girls. All our girls come from the 4 villages: Habibat, Lhayn, Chyahna and Kasbah. As most of them do not posses any vehicle like bike or a moto, so at least this time we want to make it easier for them and  give them a lift. In each village, on the main square, a bunch of kids are waiting for us, trying to get into the car. Fortunately I took a list of girls with me so after we read the name, the called girl gets to our pick-up through the tail gate. HAHA, this will be a funny ride!

We managed to pick-up 19 out of the 20 girls we have in the program. After bringing girls to the house of Hbib, we started the meeting punctually at 10. Our first goal is that girls get to know each other and start working together. With today’s reunion we would like to start a tradition of monthly meetings, during which girls will learn Spanish and prepare to engage themselves in activities ITRAN, such as the Summer Camp. We hope that the most active of them will become our volunteers in the future. At the moment we lack girls and women in our Association! All the people who help us are men what also reflects the structure of Moroccan society, especially in the villages and small towns. We believe that only by showing to young girls the benefits of schooling can change a tendency to leave school, at least for some of them.

The first meeting with all the participants of the Patronage Program in the house of Hbib

Abdess explaining to the girls the objectives of the meeting

 

During the meeting we chose the 4 representatives from each village, who will be responsible for the organization of the future meetings. We also decided that one of those 4, Asma, will be a representative of all the girls and will be responsible for contacts with other members of the ITRAN Association. Asma, although she is very young still, took her responsibility very seriously, she was taking the notes during all the meeting and helping us to carry on the reunion.

Our Girls :))))))

 

During the latter part of the meeting we distributed the special cards that all the girls will put on the front wall of their houses. The cards say our Association name and provide contact details to our representatives in Spain and Morocco. Abdess showed to the girls, on the example of his house, how to place the card on the facade. From now on every passerby will informed that ITRAN is supporting the family living in this house.

“ITRAN is here”

Abdess mounting an information card on the facade of his house

In the afternoon we made a second meeting in the house of Hbib with the 3 people who wish to become our volunteers in Erfoud. 2 of them are college students and one is a school teacher. I explained in details every project that we undertake in the area of Erfoud and I made short interviews with each of them. We decided to stay in contact and to start cooperation soon.

In the evening I started preparing my trip to Meknes. At 20:00 Hbib, his daughter Laila, Abdess, Mohammed and Mustafa accompanied me on my way to the bus station. They helped me carry my backpack and 2 huge boxes of dates: one to give to the family that will host me in Meknes and one that I have to bring Barcelona. On one hand I’m happy to go home, the last week was very intense for me, but on the other after these few days we became very close with each other, I’ll miss them a lot! Now only 7 hrs in the bus and at 4 am I will be picked up by my host’s son in Meknes… Bon voyage!

The last day of hard work! Tired but happy… :)

Today is our last day of work with the children of Lhayn. Due to the celebration of Sacrifice which starts on Sunday, schools will be closed until Thursday.

After Wikipedia: “Eid al-Adha (meaning “Festival of the sacrifice”), also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his promised son, Ishmael (Ismail), as an act of submission to God’s command, before God then intervened, through His angel Gabriel (Jibra’il) and informs him that his sacrifice has already been accepted. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.”

Because it is our last day of work with kids, the school director invited me and Abdess for lunch at his house. As we were served a delicious traditional meal, we were discussing next steps in the Hygiene project, but also some news from the schools. After lunch we returned to Lhayn to give lecture for the last 3 groups of children, and to say goodbye. Me and Abdess we were already very tired after working many days without a break, but also satisfied. We have distributed hygiene products: soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes to more than 400 children from Habibat and Lhayn, each child was instructed how and to wash hands and brush teeth. Moreover all the teachers (18 persons) were instructed how to help children in the daily care of their hygiene. Sachiko, the Japanese nurse we met a few days ago promised us to go back to the Habibat school from time to time to monitor whether the children use the soap and toothbrushes we distributed. She also shared with me many instructive materials concerning hygiene teaching and some very interesting results of the interviews she made with children from Habibat and concerning their hygienic habits. All this was very inspiring and important to develop the hygiene project in the future.

The last practical class in Lhayn about how to brush your teeth 😀

A group of the youngest kids (1st grade, 5-6 years old) with our interpreters: Mohammed, Mohammed and Abdess, Lhayn

After the last visit in school of Lhayn I had to return the unused hygienic material to our storage room in Xaluca hotel. Unfortunately, when I was on my way to Xaluca, the van full of precious material broke leaving me standing in the middle of the roundabout and asking for help the passers by ! After a half an hour of trying to contact different friends, Hbib miraculously appeared and saved my ass again! We reloaded all the material to his van. The van was taken by the mechanic and I could not use it until the end of my trip. For this reason I had to move back to the house Hbib who helped me bring the material to Xaluca and took me to the bus station the next day….

The first day in the school of Lhayn

After the last night spent with the family of Amina, we began our work in the second school in Lhayn. This school is much smaller than the one in Habibat, it has only 6 classes and about 110 children. Besides delivering the tooth pastes, tooth brushes and soap, we will post the instructional posters about washing hands and brushing teeth properly. We posted them in Habibat and Lhayn in places where the children may need them: in the bathrooms and near the outdoor sinks.

Abdess showing to the kids how to clean their hands properly

 

Posting the card with instructions how to wash hands correctly

 

One of the school groups with their teachers and Abdess

During the day I had a short break to go to the center of Erfoud to meet with our local ex-coordinator Ibrahim in order to collect the contracts and portfolios of the children who have recently joined the patronage program. I took advantage of the visit in Erfoud and I went to the market to buy some stuff I’ll need tomorrow and to make photocopies of posters that will leave in schools.

In the afternoon I visited the fossil factory belonging to Mr. Ammar who is our local partner and who donated his products to be sold in Barcelona in order to raise money to support ITRAN’s projects and initiatives. Mr. Ammar gave me some fossil necklaces to give to my friends, how nice !!

An 800.000.000 (!) years old fossil.

In this little excursion to the factory I was accompanied by Amina, her son Mohammed and Abdess. After the visit, we went to Amina’s house to leave Mohammed as he was already very tired and we continued to Hotel Xaluca to pass by our storage room and pick up some hygienic materials we will need tomorrow. The hotel was full of people who came from all over Europe to attend the Moroccan Rally, a very big and famous event that starts tomorrow. Our van is not like the rally ones, but who would notice 🙂 We grabbed the needed things very fast and went to Habibat to give a lift to Abdess. Of course, as we got there, his mom invited us for a tea. The night continued. After such a busy day I dreamed to get some rest finally, but the worse was about to come. To make a long story short, as we were about to leave, I made a mistake and our van ended up stuck in the position that it was impossible either to go forward or backward without hitting the wall of on house or the other. During the longest 30 min ever, while trying to get out of there without breaking the van, I finally hit the wall, the car got absolutely immobilized, the steering wheel got blocked and we were not able to open any of the front door anymore… it never rains but it pours….. Although it was already the night I decided to knock the door of Hbib, who is my friend and helped me in the past. With the help of Hbib and the boys from the village, after another half an hour we managed to get the car out! The boys just lifted it and placed in the position from which was easy to maneuver… Why I haven’t thought about that before… Uuuuuf what a day..! And tomorrow we start at 7. It’s really time to go to sleep now…

We continue our mission in Habibat

Today we continue our work in the school in Habibat. We began early in the morning: around 8:30 we arrived to the school to give lectures and distribute hygienic materials. We have 3 groups of kids in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. In the morning we also had to find time to distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste between the 2 groups  of children we skipped yesterday. A lot of work ahead of us!

A group of kids of the 3rd grade (7-8 years old) watching the movie about the personal hygiene, Lhayn 

Below a link to a short movie from one of the classes 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n5t58R_LYg

Abdess explainig why we should wash our hands properly, Lhayn

 

One of the girls from the school of Lhayn showing what she has learned about hands washing 🙂

 

In the afternoon I moved out from the house of Hbib to another family living in Erfoud. Although I adore Hbib’s family and I feel there like at home, I am here also to meet other families, watch their habits and learn about their problems. So, from tonight on I’m going to stay with Amina and her family: her grandmother, mother, sister and her 2 children.
Amina is a very nice person, laughs a lot and has a very nice sense of humor. She is a preschool professor in a private school in Erfoud. The day we met Amina showed me her school and introduced me to its director – Fatima.

Amina (on the left) and the private school’s director in Erfoud, Fatima (on the right)

All the Wednesday we spent giving talks and distributing hygienic materials to the kids in Habibat. It was the last day in that school, we attended the last 3 groups and we finished already at 12:30.

The kids from Habibat showing off 🙂 

Afterwards I had a bit of time to go to Hotel Xaluca to resupply the missing material to start our work tomorrow in the school of Lhayn. Also I used this short free time to visit Erfoud and to print the instructive posters that we will hang tomorrow in our schools. The posters explain how to wash hands and brush teeth properly.

A poster explaining how to wash hands correctly, Lhayn

In the afternoon I met with Said, a friend of mine who lives in the desert and knows a lot about the techniques of building houses using mud bricks. This technique I learned in Palestine and from that moment this topic really interests me. The meeting was very inspiring and interesting!
The day passed very quickly, and at 10 o’clock I was in Amina’s house for dinner and to enjoy some time with her family.

First day of work – couldn’t be busier!

Today is Monday, and the work begins! We start in the school of Habibat, where there are 12 classes of kids aged from 5 to 11 years, around 300 kids in total. We need to meet with all of them and train them in the basic skills of washing hands and brushing teeth. Tough but feasible!

We started the day by meeting with the director of the schools complex of Erfoud, sr. Abba Abdeslam and with the group of teachers in the Habibat school (a village in the Erfoud surroundings).
I presented my work plan and the time schedule for the week, especially the agenda of educational talks for children that I am going to give each day.
I also demonstrated the audiovisual material I will use for the lectures and other supporting educational materials.

En example of instructions about how to brush your teeth properly.

En example of the video material concerning how to take care of the hygiene.

During the meeting with the school director and the teachers we have agreed that from now on all the children will be bringing their tooth-brushes and toothpaste to school each day. Under the teachers’ supervision, they will be encouraged to brush their teeth everyday. Of course I realize that this will require a special involvement from the teachers’ side and probably not of them will be happy to have another responsibility to take care of… Anyway, we have to try at least and in few months we will see how it goes… At the moment they show a great interest in collaborating.

And about bringing the hygienic material each day to school… I first thought about assigning the place in each classroom to keep all the hygienic stuff there, but unfortunately some classes do not have secure storing compartments. This means any unguarded material would disappear in a moment. Sad but true. Moreover, we hope that after some time at least some of the kids will want to brush their teeth also at home, after school and during the weekends, so it is also better if they can have their hygienic kit with them all the time.

After the meeting with a school staff, with the help of Abdess and Abdul I prepared the classrooms before children start their classes to present the theoretical and practical aspects of the daily hygiene. In the contrary to my previous trip in Easter, this time I want to make it more attractive and interactive: I prepared a power point and with movies to teach the children how enjoyable 😉  is to care for their personal and especially oral hygiene. We will also practice hand washing and teeth brushing with the soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes we provide.

Me and Abdul performing the first class about hygiene

 

Abdul explaining the importance of the proper hygiene habits

A theoretical introduction about hands washing before a wet practice 🙂

Abdess starting a practical class of hands washing

At some point during the day we made a very interesting encounter with a Japanese NGO nurse – Sachiko, who is doing a one year humanitarian mission in Erfoud. It is so nice to know that more people and NGOs are willing to help to improve hygienic conditions as the Itran does!

After the whole afternoon giving classes, we were totally exhausted but happy 🙂 As soon as we finished the talks, we met with the mobile supplier of the hygienic materials to receive a supply of teeth brushes that we will distribute among children.

At the end of the day we equipped the school in Habibat with soap dishes and soap and instructed the teachers that they should provide it to the kids that want to use it. Again, I know it is not the most effective way of promoting the hygiene, however where we work it is impossible just to let the stupid soap in the bathroom – it would disappear during the same hour So that’s why the teachers need to be “soap keepers”.

Tomorrow morning we start our work again, Inshallah everything works fine!

Fez -> Erfoud

I arrived to Erfoud very early in the morning. After the night spent in the bus my only wish is: to sleep now. In Erfoud I was greeted by Hbib and Sharifa, my local hosts and friends. I will stay with them for a few days enjoying their company and delicious food prepared by Sharifa.
The most important part of the weekend was Saturday’s meeting with the local volunteers of ITRAN. We were supposed to summarize the 2014 Summer Camp and discuss objectives of the project “Hygiene is health for all”.
The meeting started with a sad news: our two long-term volunteers, Omar and Ibrahim, decided to leave the association for personal reasons. I would like to thank them for the effort they made as local coordinators of ITRAN. Abdess, our most dedicated volunteer and great translator proposed to take over some of their responsibilities and declared his will to help me with the Hygiene project. Thanks Abdess !!!

During the meeting we made a summary and share an experience of the Summer Camp 2014. The discussion took us over an hour, as we encountered some organization problems this year we would like to improve in the next year. We made a brainstorm and concluded with a plan of improvements to be made next year. We all agreed that next summer the Camp should last for three weeks, as the first week would be a period of training, both for local and Spanish volunteers.
Later we were discussing a plan of work for the next week. There will be a lot of talks to give and many kids waiting to receive the hygiene kits. In the 3 schools of Dakhla sector we have in total 24 groups of children and with all of them we want to spend at least an hour to teach them how to take care of their hygiene.

Sunday I dedicated to prepare the lectures and activities for kids for the upcoming week. We also had to arrange and organize the material to be used during the week. As I also wanted to rest a bit, in the evening we went to the city of Erfoud (with Sharifa, her daughter Leila, with Abdess and Moushine) for shopping and to stroll a bit in the city center. The night was very warm and it was great to see a main square of Erfoud, full of families and groups of friends.
My last stop that day was at Hotel Xaluca where we have our storage room. I collected all the necessary materials for the next day and joined the Habib family for a delicious dinner.
I’m ready to work on Monday!

We are launching the project “Hygiene is health for everyone”

The ITRAN Association is ready to launch a new project for the academic year 2014/2015 –  “Hygiene is health for everyone”. Its purpose will be to increase the awareness about the hygienic habits, to teach how to properly wash the hands and teeth and to provide hygienic materials to a number of communities in the surroundings of the Erfoud city. We will provide information and rise awareness about personal and dental hygiene by giving talks and practical classes for the pupils of the three schools of the Dakhla sector.

The project “Hygiene is health for everyone” started with the assessment trip aiming to prepare the ground for the project, start with educational activities for the kids in Habibat and Lhayn and to provide necessary hygienic material to the pupils. My journey to Morocco began the 26th of September and it will last until the 6th of October.

My agenda is quite busy as, apart of the educational talks, I need to attend several meetings: first of all with the school complex director schools to discuss the project objectives and plan for its execution and evaluation. I also need to meet present and new local volunteers to assign the responsibilities. Finally, I plan to organize a reunion of the girls included into the Patronage Program in order to establish a direct contact and relationship among them and their Patrons in Europe. And the day has only 24 hours, uffff!!!

So, on Friday morning I started my journey towards Erfoud, Morocco, where ITRAN conducts the most of its humanitarian projects. The trip started early in the morning, I arrived to Fez at 8:30 already. The city welcomed me with cloudy sky and cold,  so different from the summer weather I remember from Erfoud… In Fez I spent
all day, accompanied by a friend of our Association, Karim. Karim showed me the city and told me a little about its magnificent history: Fez is famous for the “Al-Akhawayn”, the oldest university in the world that is still in operation. Fez is the third largest city in Morocco and is both ancient and modern city at the same time. It really amazed me how, for centuries, the city has been changing! It is a city of contrasts: huge amazing properties, luxurious villas adjacent to the districts full of the poor and homeless people, beautiful new streets that are mixed with narrow and dark alleys…

After the whole day of sightseeing Karim helped me to find my a bus to Erfoud and at 9 pm a second part of my journey now began.

(All the photos uploaded from Internet, I don’t possess any rights to them)

         

Our first day of the Summer Camp 2014

After the weekend full of adventures we are finally about to begin our work with the kids! But first things first: Monday morning started with an official ceremony of delivering the patronage scholarships to the girls and their parents. ITRAN representatives gathered in the auditorium of Arfoud to hand over the scholarships and congratulate the most successful pupils but also to admonish the (few) ones whose notes or school attendance decreased notably. If you would like to know more about the patronage program, please visit the older post from my blog.

A girl with her mother collecting the patronage scholarship from ITRAN representatives

On Monday afternoon we are supposed to start our first day in the Summer Camp. I am excited as I am supposed to coordinate the work of our 11 volunteers and, if needed, solve problems emerging on their way to entertain the kids. This years’ Camp has gathered around 120 children, favoring girls as generally having less opportunities to develop and socialize. The kids are divided into 4 age groups (from early to late primary school), to enable tailoring of the activities to their abilities and predispositions. At the beginning of the camp, each participant was provided with an ITRAN’s t-shirt and a cap corresponding with its color to the age group the child was assigned to, as well as with a pair of crocks-like shoes and reflective vest that the kids are supposed to wear on their way to and from the Camp.

The kids waiting to enter the Camp, greeting with “their” volunteers

Our colorful participants and volunteers!

Apart of its color, each group has an assigned team of two volunteers who explain how to perform activities and watch over their execution. Each group is supported by local volunteers who are translators but also give a hand to the kids when they need assistance in performing their tasks. Volunteers are easy to distinguish as they wear orange ITRAN uniforms.

Each day of the Camp has its routine and schedule which I am supposed to learn very fast, however I will also know soon that any written and planned schedules may serve for nothing sometimes so you have to improvise not to let the kids down ,making them notice that adults are about to spoil their activities 😉

In a room that served us as a warehouse, kitchen, lounge space, emergency room, shelter and more, according to the needs

Each day activities start punctually at 4 pm. The volunteers arrive a bit earlier carried by our famous vans (or maybe wagons is a more appropriate word), in order to prepare the classes and the material needed for the upcoming activities.

Our best driver at work 😉

It was amazing to see, that anytime earlier we were arriving, the majority of the kids were there already, couldn’t wait to greet us and get into the school premises. It is very difficult to get inside the school’s fence as from every side you hear your name and dozens of arms are reaching you to give a welcome hug or kiss…

As the kids finally enter the school around 4, they change their reflective vests to the colorful t-shirts, put on their crocks and… are ready to play with us! For today the volunteers planned the first part of the activities to take place indoors – using recycled materials the kids were preparing simple toys to play with later on (like juggling balls and sticks), empower their imagination and improve the manual abilities and coordination.

Indoor activities in the group of youngest kids

 Around 5:30 there is normally a short break to have a glass of milk and sweet bun. Before the kids have to wash their hands and after brush their teeth. No excuses! 😉

Having a glass of milk during the break in activities

Around 6 pm a second part of today’s activities started, an outdoor game in groups. Unfortunately the weather got bad, we had a sand storm and even a few drops of rain what discouraged us from staying outside…. The volunteers had to improvise to keep the kids attentive in class, but they succeeded!

Outdoor activity

Uffff, what a day! :))))))

A lazy weekend before the opening of the second week of the Summer Camp, PART 2

As a tourist you should look out for the following things if considering a camel ride or trek – remember these 5 steps as CAMEL (after right-tourism.com):

Can this camel realistically take my height and weight?
Are the camels generally in good condition – with a healthy coat and positive body language (head up, no lameness, interest and awareness of the surrounding environment, no aggressive behavior, no visible injuries, etc.)?
Malnourished camels should not be worked – are the camels a good weight? Can you see/know about access to water and food at the camels resting place?
Equipment – does all of the equipment used, such as mouth bits, saddles and harnesses look to be in good condition and well fitting?
Length of trek – how many miles is the camel expected to take you – bear in mind your weight, the terrain, access to water, and the heat. Is this a realistic journey for the animal to complete comfortably?

Also remember – don’t believe that camels need to be whipped or beaten to make them work! Despite what many owners and tourists may think, beating only means that the animal is being pushed harder than it is comfortable with.

Dromedary camel, Camelus dromedarius

A stray camel spotted on the desert

Camel rides are an important branch of the eastern Morocco’s touristic business, however we should always be sensitive for any signs of animal maltreatment!

Camels may seem aggressive and stubborn animals, however in reality they are gentle, intelligent and patient animals (if treated properly!). As you probably know, camels do not store water in their humps as was once commonly believed. The humps are actually reservoirs of fatty tissue which, while metabolized, releases energy and causes water to evaporate from the lungs during respiration (as oxygen is required for the metabolic process).*
Camels have also an amazing ability to survive the desert heat by being able to increase their own body heat without damaging the brain, due to a very complex vascular system. Moreover, their red blood cells are oval rather than circular in shape. This facilitates the flow of red blood cells during dehydration and makes them better at withstanding high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water: a 600 kg camel can drink 200 L (20 buckets!!!) of water in three minutes. Additionally, camels can withstand losing 25% of their body weight to sweating (whereas most other mammals only about 12–14%). Finally, to minimize water loss, when they exhale, water vapor becomes trapped in camels’ nostrils and is reabsorbed into the body.
The camel’s long legs help by keeping its body farther from the ground, which can heat up to 70 °C. Moreover, dromedaries have a pad of thick tissue over the sternum which raises the body from the hot surface and allows cooling air to pass under the body while the animal lies down.

I think I convinced you that camels are one of the most amazing creatures on Earth, that’s why we should always make sure they are treated properly in the place of their service!

After 1.5 hr of a camel ride, already after sunset, we reached Merzouga, a tiny oasis lost in the desert, where we are supposed to spend the night…

  Sahara dunes just before the sunset…

Merzouga occurred to be an amazing spot to observe the summer sky. As it is located in a distance from any artificial light sources you are able to see literally thousands of stars and milky way spreading over the dunes, an unforgettable experience!

The sky over Sahara – 60 sec exposition, no tripod, no remote shutter trigger 😉

On Sunday morning, after the night spent in small but surprisingly comfortable tents, we started our trip back very early in the morning, to avoid the extreme temperature and protect ourselves and the camels from overheating. While packing we spotted quite, it would seem, unusual equipment in the middle of the desert…

A few pairs of skis and skiing shoes?! WTF?

Well, nothing will surprise me anymore here 😉 Even this:

This photo is not mine, taken from the internet, but I absolutely believe it is not fake!

With aching butts, we finally arrived to the meeting point where we were picked up by the hotel staff again and taken to Xaluca… Ufff, finally we can start preparing for a busy week of the Summer Camp!!

 

* all quotes in italic come from Wikipedia

A lazy weekend before the opening of the second week of the Summer Camp, PART 1

After the whole day spent traveling, we have finally reached our destination, Arfoud.

A (very) schematic map of the region. To orientate, find Marrakesh in the upper left corner, while Arfoud in the upper right one. The Sahara begins just below Arfoud

This time, mainly because of the sanitary reasons (we have over 45 degrees here), we will be allocated in the Xaluca Hotel, whose owner is our kind supporter. By the way, if you are looking anytime for a comfortable place to stay in a reasonable price, we definitely recommend you Xaluca!

 

But why actually are we here?! The Summer Camp for kids from Arfoud started already a week ago. As its present director, Lucía, will go back to Barcelona these days, I am supposed to take over her duties. Tough, but what a challenge!

But first things first: before the hard work starts, we will join an excursion organized for our volunteers as a break after an exhausting week (well, for me on-account an upcoming one, hehe). To be honest, although I enjoyed the trip a lot, I don’t remember when I was such a model tourist last time… In just two days we did all the touristic stuff we normally laugh about. Was funny though…

We started our weekend from the ride through the desert. We were picked up from Xaluca’s door by the three 4×4 jeeps and our ride through Sahara started… Our volunteers were absolutely delighted and it was just the beginning of the entertainment!

Itran volunteers having fun driving through the desert in a 4×4

As I mentioned before, the city of Arfoud is located at the entrance to the Sahara desert (by the way, a word “Sahara” or “Sahraa” in Arabic means… a desert. Pure tautology then 🙂 ). In Arfoud I met a CouchSurfer called Abdel, who told me an intriguing story about the genres of the city’s name. So, in the past, a word “Arfoud” in the local dialect meant “(to) run away”. Its origins are as follows – the city of Arfoud, as situated on the boarder with the desert, was located on the crossroads of different trade routes. For this reason, the passing by traders were an easy target for gangs of thieves waiting for a loot. The city then seemed to be a safe port for the travelers struggling with the harsh desert life…

Fata Morgana – in calm weather, a layer of significantly warmer air can rest over colder dense air, forming an atmospheric duct which acts like a refracting lens, producing a series of both inverted and erect images called mirages 🙂

The landscapes we were surrounded with at the entrance to the Sahara are monotonous in their color palette and forms. However, the desert’s majesty, hot breath of the summer wind, endless sky that is almost white from the heat, and absolute silence, make this place absolutely unique on Earth. When looking at the distant horizon, breathing the omnipresent dust carried by the dry and hot wind, you feel peace and tranquility but also a huge respect for these natural powers that may kill you in just few hours if you don’t have enough water and sufficient protection from the frying sun and air. A picture of ancient eremites looking for seclusion on the sandy extents gets a new meaning from now on…

As we were moving down the desert, we encountered a few Berbers’ shelters. Berbers are nomad people present since centuries in Africa and Middle East. Today, they mainly live in the Northern African countries such as Morocco and Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Mali and Niger. In Saharan interior of North Africa, including Morocco, they are called Tuaregs. Their way of living hasn’t changed much for centuries. They breed sheep and move along with them to look for new pastures and water springs. They live in simple tents made of leather, grass, foil and other materials they can find.

Berbers’ settlement

A well used by the Berbers during the winter. In summer it is dry and the shepherds must take their herds to other water sources behind the hills

On our way we also met some wild camels and donkeys, surviving very well in these harsh conditions…

We stopped for lunch in a desert charming shelter located close to a small settlement. From here we could already see the Algerian border, approximately 140 km away to the East. Here, the dunes are slowly displacing rocks and stones, we start to feel like in a “real” desert we know from books and movies…

A small shelter lost somewhere in the Sahara

After this stop we moved down the desert again and were taken to another Xaluca estate – Tomboctou. There we had finally time to swim and refresh after such a “busy” day… After a lazy break another attraction was waiting for us. In the back yard of the hotel there was an enclosure with some very nice animals waiting to take us to another stop in our trip…

(call me a real tourist from now on) 😀

The Summer Camp 2014 in Arfoud has started! Barcelona -> Fes -> Arfoud

As I had announced in my previous post, on the 8th of August started the Summer Camp 2014 – a unique project directed to the kids from the rural zone of Arfoud city, located in the southern Morocco. I will be a director of the second week of the Camp, coordinating the work of 10 volunteers. The main goal of this initiative is to create an opportunity for a multicultural exchange between international volunteers and local community members, promoting friendliness, solidarity and teamwork in the educational process of boys and girls, addressing issues such as hygiene, sociability, coexistence, education, etc.

We arrived at the end of the first week of the Camp to coordinate it’s second part. If you are interested in activities and events from the past days, please visit ITRAN’s Facebook fanpage. You will find a lot of photos and detailed reports of each day.

Our first day we spent mostly travelling as we had to make a trip from Barcelona to Fes and then to Arfoud. The whole trip took us incredible 12 hrs only (last time I traveled for 2 days, hehe). The last 450km we made by taxi run by a friend of ITRAN, Said. No air-condition and back window. Broken front lamps. 46 degrees inside. Seats covered with blanket so your ass sweats like in sauna. Lots of fun 🙂

Our taxi

450km down to the Sahara, 7 hours through the plains, Atlas mountains, and desert

an oldschool inside of our taxi

Some alternative ways of travelling – in this heat quite justified (the goats were protected from the sun as they traveled inside the ventilated but covered part of the truck)

I wish that I could fly Into the sky So very high Just like a dragonfly…

Amazing view for a Ziz’s riverbed and it’s surroundings

Ziz river’s surroundings

As Sahid didn’t speak Spanish or English, we were communicating with our basic Arabic. I tried on him my favorite golden phrase that made laugh a few drivers already 😉 Who at the end wouldn’t like to hear that his “car is beautiful”… < click on the photo below to see the movie 🙂 >

Practicing my Arabic

How to get involved? Part 2: Join the Summer Camp in August, come to Morocco with us!

Would you like to live a unique experience in a desert, making a humanitarian trip and helping the kids from Arfoud to approach issues connected with education, hygiene, etc.?

For the 6th time ITRAN is organizing a Summer Camp in the rural zone of southeastern Morocco.

When? 8th – 26th of August 2014.

Where? Arfoud, southeastern Morocco.

Who? Boys and girls from the Arfoud area and international volunteers.

What? Activities and games carried on by volunteers helping the kids
to approach issues connected with education, hygiene, etc.

The main goal of the project is to create an opportunity for a multicultural exchange between volunteers and local community members, promoting friendliness, solidarity and teamwork in the educational process of boys and girls from the scholar sector of Arfoud (southeastern Morocco), addressing issues such as hygiene, sociability, coexistence, and education.

The Summer Camp is directed to boys and girls selected together by ITRAN and the teaching staff, taking into consideration such factors as:

– Economic and educational needs;
– Women promotion (60% of participants of the Summer Camp are girls);
– Academic performance and personal motivation.

The project will be carried on from Monday to Friday for three hours in the afternoon during which a series of pre-prepared activities and games will be performed.

For more information please contact Samira:

tel: +34 648 601 576,
e-mail: casalmarroc2014@yahoo.es

How do get involved? Part 1: Patronage Program

As I mentioned a few times before, my trip to Morocco was organized by the ITRAN Association of Friends of the Moroccan People. During my short stay, I learned how the projects carried on by ITRAN work. I evaluate all of them as very useful and correctly carried out, especially taking into account the obstacles I described in previous posts and the distance between the ITRAN’s headquarter in Barcelona, Abderrahim’s office in Rabat, and the beneficiaries living near the desert of Arfoud.

I will describe each of the projects and encourage you to get involved!

Patronage Program (“Apadrinamiento”)

In my opinion, this project is especially valuable as its goal it to support Moroccan girls with special needs, living in the zone of Arfoud, for a period of 12 months. The girls are carefully chosen and, as well as their parents, they must comply with specific rules to be included in the Program. Briefly, there are 2 agreements signed: one between ITRAN and the Patron and the second one between ITRAN and the family chosen for the Patronage. ITRAN commits to check regularly whether the girls and their parents follow the agreement and to pass the information to the Patron.

Conditions that girl’s parents have to provide to their daughter:

• Take special care of her health
• Take care of her proper nutrition
• Maintain the house in perfect hygienic conditions
• Ensure the daughter ‘s attendance to school

It is also desired that the girl keeps high notes at school, learns a foreign language and gets involved in the volunteering activities organized by ITRAN in the Arfoud zone.

During my stay in Morocco, I had a pleasure to assist in the periodic evaluation meeting of the Patronage Committee with the girls and their families. I described it on the blog on 22^nd of April.

Girls and their parents chosen for the Patronage Program and ITRAN volunteers

A girl from the Patronage Program who had the best notes with Abderrahim

The cost of the Patronage is 10€ per month for a period of 12 months. More information (in Spanish) can be found on the ITRAN’s webpage, you may also direct all your questions to marruecositran@yahoo.es.

Other ways of getting involved will be published soon!

A subjective selection of facts about Morocco and some comparisons with Palestine…

Going to Morocco I really didn’t know what to expect. I have never been there before and my knowledge about the region was rather scarce. I would like to share with you my impressions about what I really found here. Naturally, I was making comparisons with Palestine all the time, as I got to know this country quite some before and because of the cultural similarities I expected to find. Well, besides the similar language (however Moroccan Arabic is so different from the Standard one, that by some it is considered as a separate language) and same religion, these two countries do not have much in common. Maybe except of amazing spirit of people who are similarly generous, kind, and cheerful in both countries, at least the ones that I had a pleasure to meet.

Some facts after Wikipedia: Morocco has a population of over 33 million and officially is a kingdom governed by the King Mohammed VI (PhD in law) that holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs. Morocco is a developing country (according to its nominal GDP per capita per year which is around US$ 3.500, while e.g. Spanish GDP equals ~US$ 30.000 and Polish ~US$ 13.000), with a relevantly low quality of life (Human Development Index combining life expectancy, education, and income, is described as ‘Medium’), and high corruption rate. However, in terms of equality, which is one of the most powerful indicators of general well-being of the nation, Morocco ranks average (Gini’s coefficient of distribution of income among the population is similar to Turkey and lower than for the US). Moroccan economy is based on the services sector (just over half of its GDP) and industry, made up of mining, construction and manufacturing (additional quarter of GDP). The touristic potential of the country is great due to its breathtaking exotic landscapes, beaches, extraordinary infrastructure like roads or railways, and it is definitely not fully exploited yet (in 2010 the government launched its Vision 2020 which plans to make Morocco one of the top 20 tourist destinations in the world).

The territory of Morocco (excluding the Western Sahara), the city of Arfoud where I worked is marked.

Moroccan flag

King Mohammed VI

Although Morocco is officially involved in a conflict with the Polisario Front concerning the Western Sahara, at the moment guerrilla war practically only exists on the diplomatic level and does not influence everyday’s life of people. So, in contrary to Palestine, developing any project there depends mostly on the good will of people and not on any external, violent and unpredictable force, like in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Taking into account all the presented factors and relatively stable political and economical situation, the problems that organizations such ITRAN are fighting with, mostly concern the populations living in the southern rural part of the country, which is less developed and relatively isolated due to distance and natural geographical barriers between the north and the south of Morocco. The issues related to personal and dental hygiene that are covered by the project I am participating in, are strongly connected with lower school enrollment and general education rate which in turn are linked to cultural specifics (which especially strikes the female population). These issues are of course important, however not comparable to the ones people living in the Jordan Valley experience, where the roots of hygienic problems come from the permanent lack of water drained by the Israeli industry and the low school enrollment ratio is caused by the danger of sending kids to school as the public transportation does not exist.

From my brief experience, I may conclude that major obstacles in successful running the projects in the area I worked in originate probably from some cultural differences and general way of thinking, which is not so goal-oriented as western people are used to. It manifests itself by lack of particular organizational skills, which for the occidentals may seem quite obvious. For example, basics of project management, clear definition and delegation of responsibilities, data collecting and archiving, or the concept of a follow-up study seem to be a bit abstract there. Also lack of habit to maintain and take care of public property, together with a very dry, hot climate and sand-storms, implicate that buildings and objects degrade and turn into kipple very fast, while the public sites, like bathrooms, are very dirty and ruined. The absolute absence of municipal services does not make the things easier… We observed the same in Palestine, however there, in addition to mentality specifics, the permanent threat of the property demolition makes it often pointless to maintain, and the public services in the most of the Palestinian Territory are banned.

An example of one of the classrooms in Chyanna: although the school needs extra space to organize an auditorium, for some reasons this room is abandoned and useless…

Nevertheless, I am quite optimistic and I believe that it is possible to implement our ideas to improve the level of education and awareness concerning the hygiene and health issues. The question remains, how much time will it take 😉