work.

Work in Peace Corps has varied for me over my two years in Morocco. I’ve had a number of opportunities in and out of site to work with different populations to attain different goals. This post is largely an overview of some of the more recent projects I have been a part of or developed in site. The past two years I have spent a great deal of time redefining what work is and how to have an impact when resources are limited and these are some of the results.

The most sustainable project I have been a part of was expanding and opening the existing community library. It was partially filled with university level French and Arabic books on various topics, although it had never been opened to the public. The books were too challenging to be read by most individuals in the community and definitely for the youth accessing the Dar Chabab (youth center). To address this need I wrote a grant through the Peace Corps small grant program and acquired funds (many thanks to those of you who donated!) for the purchase of books and supplies to promote and encourage reading. The mudir (director) of the Dar Chabab and I traveled to a library development training over the summer and worked on organizing the library together. It has been one of the most tangible successes I have seen during my service. Over 125 kids have accessed the library so far and more continue to come. We held a reading competition and students have participated in art activities to promote active reading and creative writing. Students love reading children’s books in French, Arabic, and English as well as utilizing the academic resources available.

One of the more recent projects I have been involved in was a pilot program testing a comprehensive curricula designed for girls. The five areas included empowerment, art, sports, health, and English. It was developed by Project Soar, a nonprofit based in a small village outside Marrakech. They provide resources and afterschool programming for adolescent girls in the area and are now expanding to serve additional rural and semi-rural communities throughout Morocco. My site was selected as part of this expansion, Project Soar in a Box.

My counterpart and I taught empowerment and health lessons at the Dar Talib (a boarding house for students from areas too far to walk to middle and high school). We worked with fifteen girls, discussing topics from the importance of education and leadership to menstruation. The girls identified existing challenges in their communities as females such as harassment and pressure to quit school and/or marry young. After identifying challenges they worked to brainstorm ideas for potential solutions.

We also facilitated the program at the Dar Chabab as well, utilizing the empowerment, sports, and art curricula. During the winter break the girls were eager to play soccer and other games on the one field in town. In my two years here I had never seen a female step foot on the field, but we were determined to have the opportunity to play. The first day we were alone and the girls loved every minute. The second day as we were approaching the field we saw there were about five teen boys already playing a full field game. I was nervous to ask them for even half the field, but the girls we adamant that we demand our right to use the field. The boys respectfully agreed and we played on our respective halves. Hearing these girls speak up and out about their rights to utilize a public space was easily one of the most memorable moments of my entire service.

I leave Morocco at the end of this month, every day I go to work now at least one person asks me to stay longer. I tell them I’m going back to the States to study, but these goodbyes will be some of the hardest. I feel privileged to have gotten to know such amazing students and adults throughout my time here. Change is slow and oftentimes not readily visible, but as I reflect on my service I see the sparks of change happening now and know they will continue to grow in the future after I am gone.