Placement Information

The Orphanage 

The placement which we attended is around a five minute walk from our accommodation, our first day we were taken to the placement by our coordinator and were shown around the orphanage and also the classroom where we would be teaching. The classroom we were placed in had children aged 0-5 and normally had one or two staff members supervising the children. The room often has altogether around twenty children who are regulars, but you may see some unfamiliar faces of children who don't attend as regularly. It is very easy to familiarize yourself with the setting, as staff members are very approachable and the children love meeting new people. The children in the placement made this trip an unforgettable one, they are highly active in learning and trying out new activities and very well mannered. You find yourself getting very attached to them whilst teaching and carrying out various activities. The hardest part you may face when on this placement is saying goodbye to the children when leaving. 

We found out allot about the actual orphanage and were surprised to find it also acted as a shelter for women who have been disowned by their families as they have divorced or separated from their husbands. Many of the children do actually have parents but are of very poor backgrounds and many of the parents work at the setting as dinner ladies or even practitioners.  

Roles 

most of our days were spent in the preschool, however we were asked by staff to also teach some lessons not only to the classroom we were in but also with older children. These lessons are aimed to teach the children English, we focused on teaching the children numbers or letters. You will also find staff too are very eager to learn a few English phrases. It is recommended you plan some teaching material before going on placement. To help support the children more in there studies we brought in educational resources such as pens, rulers, grids, colours and more, for the children to use and be able to enjoy themselves whilst learning.

Common activities conducted throughout the day included:

• Ball games
• Building blocks
• Teaching the alphabet
• Islamic Studies
• Colouring
• Free play with costumes, toys etc
• Outdoor play ( football, ball games)

Working hours 

It was optional to work however many hours you wanted to, whether it being just mornings or afternoons or a few hours every day. But we suggest you have a regular shift pattern when coming in and out of the settings, as it more respectful and professional this way. Make sure you make the coordinator aware of your hours that you will work and they will pass the message on to the staff. 

Extra notes

Some of the methodology used in disciplining the children requires you to have thick skin and a level of tolerance and consideration for the different cultural values and practices. The orphanage is always very thankful for new resources for the children to support their educational, health and welfare needs such as: Educational games, toys, diapers and more. You may find the staff do not always have the right resources available for the children, so it is advised to bring in your own. We brought in some diapers, baby wipes, baby powder and snack bars for the children to eat at break times. 

Snack bars are also a great way to reward the children after they take part in an activity that you have organized. The children love little snacks and are always very eager to do the work when knowing they will get rewarded afterwards for it. 

Accommodation

Accommodation during placement in Rabat

During your placement you will stay with a host family provided by Plan My Gap year. Upon arriving in to Morocco airport you will be greeted by one of the coordinators of the placement, who will take you to your host family. When we arrived at the house we were given some Moroccan snacks and greeted the family who were very welcoming. The host family house we stayed at was situated within the Medina and was only a five Minute walk away from the orphanage where you will volunteer. The house had two modern bathrooms and showering facilities. As there were two of us in a pair we shared a room. The room was very spacious and you are provided with a little draw for your clothes by the host family. It had a door that locked so you have some privacy. The accommodation is a beautiful traditional Moroccan apartment and is on the top floor, so you have access to the terrace which has a great view of the Medina and the local mosques. 

The family we stayed with did not speak English so communicating with them was difficult at times, but we had a another girl staying at the house who was also volunteering who helped translate, as she spoke some French. We were very fortunate to have her there but we advise you to learn some simple French or bring a French dictionary to communicate with the family better. The family consisted of three daughters and the mother and farther, Moroccans are very welcoming and hospitable people therefore there were regular visits by the families friends. A few things to be aware of whilst staying at the house is that the father tended to stay awake till very late in the night with the TV switched on, so if you are a light sleeper we suggest you take some ear plugs. You will also be woken up in the morning by the prayer calls that go off five times a day, but you soon get used to it and are able to sleep through it. 

The host family were amazing throughout our stay. We spent a lot of time with the daughters and integrated with the family as much as possible. The older daughter took us to the local hammam which is a communal bath house and a very fun experience, that we would highly recommend. The daughters also loved going around and showing us different spots with great scenery. The day before we left the mother let us wear her traditional Moroccan clothing and did henna on us whilst we had a party with music and Moroccan sweets with mint tea. I would recommend bringing a leaving present for the family, as gift giving is a big part of Moroccan culture. We brought the mother a watch to show our thankfulness for her being so loving and caring whilst we stayed at her house we also brought the daughters some sweets. Staying with the host family gives you a real insight of Moroccan culture and home life it was an amazing experience, and felt like we were part of the family.   

Transport

Whilst in Rabat most of our travels were done on foot, as all the main sites were close walking distance, from the beach to the Hassan tower. there are trams right outside the Medina gate of your accommodation so if you feel like volunteering somewhere further the cost of a ticket 14 Durhams which is equivalent to around a £1 you will most likely prefer to walk though as the sites and scenery are as beautiful as the destinations. The beach is 20 minuets walk from your accommodation. you are one Minuit away from all the shops and markets but exploring the many markets takes quite a bit of time. make sure to wear comfy shoes or trainers as the a lot of walking with be done.

For the weekend we decided to travel to a different city Casablanca. We traveled on train the tickets are extremely cheap and the trains are modern and pretty much the same as the ones we have here. the tickets to Casablanca cost us 70 Dirham (£4), you buy the ticket at the station which is also walking distance from the house. The journey lasts an hour the trains are very efficient and if in need or unsure which train to use ask locals as they will be happy to help. we also traveled to Marrakesh the following week this journey however lasted five hours and cost 120 Dirham (£8) though the journey does not seem the length it is actually is as you are surrounded by breathtaking views of African countryside and mountains.   

When in Casablanca and Marrakesh we had to take the taxi the taxis are different colors in each city like in here in Britain you just call taxis or wave your hand. please make sure the drivers meter is working and that they will use it as especially in Marrakesh taxi drivers will try and rip you off saying they do not have meters (when they do) and try charging overpriced fairs. we didn't have a problem with taxi drivers in Casablanca they were very friendly and extremely cheap our journey to the mosque cost us 13 Dirham which is less then a pound. however in Marrakesh the taxi drivers are much more aggressive with trying to get you to come in there taxis keep refusing until you get the price you want - they may also lie that the journey is further away then it is so make sure you prior to your travels google map how far your destination is by car so you know how much it should roughly cost. 

Social life

We visited many sites of which some were situated in Rabat itself and some which we traveled outside to Casablanca. The sights that were visited in Rabat were:

Hassan tower 

The beach 

Mausoleum 

In Casablanca we visited a mosque which was called the Hassan II which is surrounded by water and is the largest mosque in Africa and the second largest in the world. It has exquisite architectural values and during our tour we were accompanied by a tour guide which was very useful. This mosque took 6 years to build and during the blessed moth of Ramadan the roofs of the mosque open and remain open till the end of the day. We also ate at beautiful cafes which provided us with desserts, ice creams and also the traditional Moroccan mint tea. 

Things to do, things not to do

Things not to do 

• It is advised not to drink tap water as it may make you ill. There is a shop right outside the host families house which sells bottled water, it is best to stock up on the big bottles and buy a small bottle that you can refill and carry with you. 
•  Do not respond to guys on the street who  
• Try and avoid wearing revealing clothes, especially women who are expected to dress modestly. It also gets surprisingly cold at some parts of the day so take a jacket and a scarf with you to be prepared for the diverse weather as Rabat is a coastal city. 
• It is prohibited to drink or to be drunk on the streets.  

Things to do 

• Take a good camera as there are amazing sites and you want to capture them in the best way possible.  
• carry water with you where ever you go so you don't get dehydrated, have spare money and change as when travelling you tend to get hungry easily. 
• Travel outside of Rabat, we travelled to Casablanca and Marrakesh. There are many different amazing cities to explore in Morocco and most of them you are able to visit via a train journey.   
• when we travelled to Marrakesh we arranged a day trip with a local shop that sold daily excursions (you can haggle the prices of these day trips try telling the person you found a cheaper deal else where and they will try to beat that) we chose to go to the Ourika valley. 

Useful Contacts

http://www.planmygapyear.co.uk/ 

Plan My Gap Year's website is full of information and also contact details of the organizers who you can email or message via Facebook. 

When on placement your coordinator will give you there phone number and you can message them with any queries or problems on whatsapp or go on the Facebook page.

Before you go 

• Make sure you visit the doctors to get the correct jabs.
• Learn some french vocab and simple sentences and phrases in Arabic as Morocco is both a french and Arabic speaking country.
• Research different cities you may want to explore or visit whilst on placement.