Eco Volunteering & Study

Today's traveler is increasingly looking for more than just superficial sights and experiences. Many visitors come to Morocco hoping to scratch beneath the surface and really get to know the country and, more importantly, its people. Travelers will be confronted daily with random opportunities to interact with Moroccans; many times you'll be invited to share a glass of mint tea, often at the home of the person offering. There are also other, more organized avenues, which take away the initial concerns of safety and communication difficulties. These include volunteering on regional development projects, studying Moroccan Arabic at a local language school, or joining a specific community-based tour.

Responsible Tourism

Eco-tourism has become the fastest-growing sector within global tourism and is promoted by the now well-known saying, "Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints." The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defines eco-tourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." True eco-tourism is still in its infancy within Morocco, contrary to the marketing of many local and international companies. Moroccans are largely ambivalent toward their environmental footprint, mostly through lack of education but also because it is a luxury that most don't have the time or money to afford. The government is also partly to blame, as basic infrastructure such as waste disposal and sewage are criminally lacking in some parts of the country. The amount of waste that litters many of the country's waterways, beaches, roadsides, and mountains is a sight that Western travelers consistently mention as disappointing and worrying. However, it is only through increasing demand from international visitors that some tour operators, travel agencies, and accommodations are beginning to operate with truly dedicated ecologically sound principles and practices.

The Web-based travel directory responsibletravel.com (tel. 01273/600030 in the U.K.) lists thousands of "eco holidays" available worldwide, including a vast selection in Morocco. Jane Bayley's Naturally Morocco (tel. 01239/654-466 in the U.K.; www.naturallymorocco.co.uk) is considered the leader in eco-travel in Morocco. This U.K.-based responsible and sustainable tourism operator also has a cultural and environmental center in Taroudannt, from where it offers a range of hands-on cultural and environmental experiences. Clients can choose between diverse themes such as anthropology, language, cooking lessons, architecture, music, art, and wildlife. It also operates as a travel agency, recommending similar-principled accommodations and tours throughout the rest of Morocco. Equatorial Travel (tel. 01335/348-770 in the U.K.; www.equatorialtravel.co.uk) is a small U.K.-based travel company owned by friendly journeyman John-Paul Rodgers. It offers small-group, personalized tours to central and southern Morocco, with a heavy emphasis on the local culture. Besides desert excursions, it also offers an itinerary that culminates in the Essaouira Gnaoua & World Music Festival, a photographic tour escorted by a professional photographer, and itineraries structured toward families. Operating on fair-trade principles and practices, up to 20% of the company's profit is redirected back to the communities with which it works. Tribes Travel (tel. 01728/685-971 in the U.K.; www.tribes.co.uk) is an independent specialist-travel company based in the U.K. operating tailor-made holidays to a number of exotic destinations, including Morocco. It practices fair-trade principles, combining discerning travel with the needs of local communities, intended to protect both biodiversity and cultural diversity. The Tribes Foundation concentrates on poverty alleviation, education, cultural preservation, and conservation projects within the destinations that Tribes Travel operates. The company offers a range of itineraries throughout the majority of Morocco, as well as organizing weekend breaks in Marrakech.

Volunteering

Volunteer programs abroad used to be the exclusive domain of students and youth travelers, but with the increasingly high profile of eco-tourism, a desire from the average traveler to become more involved in the country he or she is visiting has increased. Collectively being dubbed "voluntourism," more and more short-term volunteer projects are now being offered by tour operators to complement the choice of volunteer and exchange programs already offered by an established network of volunteer organizations. No matter how short or long, volunteering in Morocco is a great way to see the country in more depth and to greater appreciate the harsh realities faced daily by many locals. Most volunteer organizations are not-for-profit entities that charge participants to go abroad, combining home stays with voluntary service in a variety of community service projects. Voluntourism operators are private tour operators that typically offer 1- to 3-week accommodated holidays, combining sightseeing with the opportunity to assist locals on short-term development projects.

Cross-Cultural Solutions (tel. 800/380-4777 toll-free or 914/632-0022; www.crossculturalsolutions.org) has offices in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, and has recently begun placing volunteers in a variety of locally run organizations dedicated to improving the life of residents in and around Rabat. Programs run from 3 to 12 weeks and are typically geared toward those that assist children and empower women. Different Travel (tel. 02380/669-903; www.different-travel.com) is a U.K.-based voluntourism specialist offering worldwide volunteering holidays. Their annual 9-day Moroccan Sahara Challenge is specifically geared toward sponsored travelers raising funds for their selected charity and includes 2 days working alongside Berber villagers to refurbish a community center. The Peace Corps (tel. 800/424-8580 toll-free; www.peacecorps.gov) has been placing American volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to local communities worldwide since 1961. In 1963, Morocco was one of the first countries (73 so far) to invite the Peace Corps to assist in its development. Since then, more than 3,500 Peace Corps volunteers have served in the country in a dazzling array of fields ranging from bee-keeping to urban development. Currently, the sectors of environment, health, small business, and youth development are open to volunteers. Projects Abroad (tel. 888/839-3535 toll-free; www.projects-abroad.org) is based in the U.S. with a local office in Rabat, and places Care & Community volunteers in orphanages and centers for children with special needs in and around Rabat.

Operation Smile (tel. 888/677-6453 toll-free or 757/321-7645; www.operationsmile.org) coordinates more than 30 Medical Mission sites in 25 countries, providing free surgeries for thousands of children to repair facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. They have been well established in Morocco for the past 10 years, with mission partnerships in Casablanca, Fes, Tangier, and others. They welcome medical specialists -- plastic surgeons, pediatricians, speech pathologists, dentists -- as well as fourth- or final-year medical students to volunteer on annual 2-week missions to Morocco, which besides treating up to 150 children also provides an educational opportunity for local health-care professionals.

SPANA (tel. 020/783-13999; www.spana.org) is a U.K.-based animal welfare organization that operates veterinary centers, mobile clinics, and educational programs throughout North and West Africa and the Middle East. Their Morocco branch has been operating since 1925, and provides a volunteer vet scheme whereby graduate vets are offered the opportunity to work for up to 3 months in one of the country's refuges.