Supporting Women in business development and literacy - Morocco (BA)

Location: Morocco
Project type: business & administration
Price from: £2167 - details below

Volunteer with a locally run women's cooperative aiming to provide employment for local women, reduce dependency and develop the expertise to become self-sustainable.

Skills required

Business planning and programme management
Mentoring for long term sustainability
Education – English language teaching and support for local teacher
Financial skills for small businesses, such as basic book-keeping
Human resource skills
Facilitator for women’s discussion groups

Main project details

The Amlougui Women's Corporative is all about creating opportunities for local women, rather than dependency. Women's cooperatives in rural Morocco are important as they are a crucial driver of socio-economic development, providing women with rare opportunities for income generation, education and social inclusion that are often limited by traditional norms and lack of infrastructure in rural areas.

Key aims of the cooperative

To enable the local women to generate autonomous and stable incomes allowing women to contribute to household expenses leading to financial independence and improved living standards for families.
To provide literacy lessons and support vocational skills
To provide a supportive community space where women can gather, share stories and support each other which helps combat social isolation and gives women a platform for their voices to be heard both within the cooperative and wider community.
To inspire the younger generation and shift community perceptions about women's roles in development.
To preserve the local cultural heritage such as the traditional techniques of carpet making while adapting designs for modern markets.

Through entrepreneurship and self sufficiency, the women will increase their own abilities, self-confidence and feelings of self-worth in the hope that these attributes will enable them to take control of their own futures. Most of the women in the village do not have formal education and are keen to learn to read and write in Arabic which is one of the languages they speak. They would also like to learn conversational English which will enable them have better interactions with guests/tourists visiting the village. To that end, the women's corporative would welcome support from volunteers with business, mentoring and teaching skills and help with long-term business planning.

The women's cooperative already have a brand new building consisting of 3 floors. The ground floor is where the women will come together to make the carpets and other crafts that they can sell. The first floor is the literacy centre where the women will learn basic reading, writing and arithmetic in Arabic and the top floor is the guest accommodation for volunteers.

To learn about how the volunteer programme works with this project read more here.

Context

Amlougui village is situated in the Ourika Valley, about 60 miles south of Marrakech, which winds its way through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains up to the High Atlas. The High Atlas features some of the most beautiful regions of Morocco. These mountains are the highest in the area, with Toubkal reaching to 4165 metres above sea level.

The people living in the tiny villages scattered across the mountains on either side of the valley are Berber people who form 80% of Morocco’s population. Though there are now more than 1400 different tribes there is one thing all Berbers agree on: ‘Where there is water there is life.’ The river careering through the Ourika Valley drew the nearly 30,000 residents here with its life-giving sustenance. In spring the valley is green and lush, animals happily graze the land while their owners scythe and stack long grass for the coming dry months.

The official language of the Berbers is Tachlhit, though most also speak Darija, a Moroccan dialect combining elements of Arabic, Tamazight and Spanish.

The Berbers are some of the most warm and welcoming people in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Morocco is a country in transition and with an increasing proportion of youth. Slow but steady economic growth has helped reduce poverty rates, but, in most rural communities, there is still real economic poverty and a dearth of available opportunities for education. Education is compulsory from age 6 to 15, but despite high enrolment in primary school challenges remain, particularly in rural areas and for girls, due to issues such as distance to schools and lower literacy rates. School dropout rates are high in Morocco (about 10%), partularly at middle school level (age 11-14). Literacy rates have improved in the past few years, but remain low for women and girls, at about 57 per cent, and are much lower in the rural areas.

Most men work in agriculture to support their families and traditionally women stay at home to look after the children. A significant number of men also leave the village and often relocate to cities like Marrakech in seach of work and opportunities. For the women of Amlougui there are currently no opportunities for employment in the village. Most women in the village are illiterate and speak only the Berber language and Arabic, so are unable to connect with visitors to the village. The village is getting smaller as families move away to get employment in Marrakech, and/or so their children can attend secondary school – the village has a pre-school and primary school, but there is no easily accessible secondary school.

Ibrahim’s ambition is to help his village to grow, both in size and in breadth of opportunities which will in turn encourage more people to stay. He has set up Amlougui Volunteering to support this ambition. His vision for the Women’s Centre is somewhere where local crafts can be produced to maintain traditional skills and to be a unique selling point for visitors to the village – this will provide opportunities for training and employment for some women. Also to be a place where women can meet for education (in literacy but also in business skills) and for discussion to widen their understanding of the opportunities open to them as women in Morocco.

If you have skills in business, mentoring, teaching, community work, are retired or in work and looking for a career break, you can share your skills and experience with the women at the centre. Other skills and experience will be welcomed too - take a look at the list of needs, as identified by the project or better still get in touch, let's discuss how you may be able to help!

Minimum duration

4 Weeks minimum

Living Conditions

You will have 2 options for accommodation in the village - Amlougui House or The Womens Corporative Guest House

Amlougui House
Amlougui House is the family home of our Local Partner Ibrahim and the guest house is run by him and his family. On the top floor of his home is a guest accommodation for volunteers and visitors that he takes to trips up the mountains.

Amlougui House is located in Amlougui village within Ourika Valley. It is a simple, clean, and comfortable place to stay during your time. All 3 bedrooms are classically decorated with amazing design. It is only a few minutes walk from the preschool, a 5 minute drive to Setti Fadma, and 67 km from Marrakech. The terrace view is spectacular! Their food and hospitality is highly rated. The cost of accommodation in Amlougui Guest House is included in the placement costs – our local partners will make the bookings.

Women’s Cooperative Guest House
Currently, a 2 bedroom apartment is being constructed on the third floor of the Women’s Cooperative due to be completed by the end of 2025 which will have 2 private rooms, a small kitchen, a bathroom with a toilet and shower, and a refrigerator.

If you decide to stay at the 2 bedroom flat above the women’s cooperative, meals can be prepared by a local woman for an extra fee. You also have the option of cooking for yourself in the kitchen.

Please note: From the bottom of village to the preschool and guest house, it is a 5-10 minute walk uphill – but not too steep!

Project costs

From £2,167 for 4 weeks in a locally owned guest house (based on a conversion rate of 1.13 Euros to £1)

Read about our costs and pricing policy here

Watch an explanatory interview with programme director Sallie Grayson

Please note returning volunteers qualify for a 25% for project management and matching fees

Additional weeks are costed at a sliding reducing rate

Please note these costs are correct to the best of our knowledge but can only be confirmed at time of booking due to changes in transport and taxes outside our control.

Included: full board accommodation (Monday - Friday) in private bedroom with shared living and bathroom facilities, airport transfers, full local orientation, local SIM card, project & placement liaison

Your project donation will be used for the purchase of essential equipment for the preschool.

How your money is spent based on 4 weeks:

Euro 1660 - direct costs in Morocco (airport transfers, accommodation, orientation)

Euro 100 - project management, liaison & supervision in Morocco

Euro 400 - project donation in Morocco

£260 - recruitment, matching & project development in UK

Not included: flights, insurance, visa costs, lunch and dinner at weekends, any weekend trips, personal expenses such as phone calls, data packages for smartphones, medical expenses, etc.

If you or your friends and family wish to make further donations to this project please contact us at sallie@travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk