It was sometime in 2024 when I began to have talks with Sallie and Dianne about them retiring and ITTOG taking over the running of People and Places. They had spoken to the heads of ITTOG about it and they suggested that I take over the directorship from the UK which is basically taking on Sallie’s role. I was excited about the opportunity as I have been a part of People and Places since the early days of its inception. I had worked as a local partner when I was I was in Gambia in 2011. I have great love and respect for what P&P do and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be part of the team again. And so I agreed to take on Sallie’s role.

We held several meetings about the handover alongside training sessions and it was during one of these meetings that the potential local partner in Amlougui, Morocco came up. Sallie and Dianne told me about Ibrahim and Salma and the amazing work they are doing in their village, Amlougui. Dianne was due to visit in October and I decided I will join her. I had at the time just had a baby and on maternity leave. By October baby Ziah  would be 5 months old and my older children Lisong 13 and Zayne 11 would be on half term. I thought it would be a perfect time to go. 

I travelled to Morocco with my children on the 24th October – Dianne was already there at that point with Brooke. Brooke now a dear friend is from the  US and was actually the one that introduced Sallie to the Amoulgui project the year before. She was kind enough to join us in Morocco to introduce us to Ibrahim and his team and also to support them in the journey to becoming a people and places local partner. We flew from London Southend to Marrakech. We met Brooke and Dianne at Villa Aalama where we had a very welcoming and comfortable overnight stay before making our way up the mountains the next day.

The drive to Amlougui took about 2.5 hours. Brooke rented a car which made all the difference especially given that I was travelling with children. The drive was pleasant with the most stunning views of the mountains. I was mesmerised. I took it all in while my 11 and 13 year olds remained firmly glued to their gadgets save for the odd glance out the window following me pleading with them to just look out the window and appreciate the view! 

We got to Amlougui around midday. We parked at the bottom of the mountain and walked up the rugged road up the village. Its only about 10mins walk but it’s an upward hike. You will definitely need comfortable clothes and trainers! Amlougui is a beautiful village, the people were lovely and Ibrahim and Salma are just lovely humans, warm, caring and hospitable. We spent the day getting to know them and their projects and the village. We stayed at a nearby hotel called Au Bord de l’Eau it was such a beautiful place located in a valley. The sound of water running from the stream was lovely in the mornings. Our hosts went over and beyond to make our stay comfortable. 

The 3 days we spent working in Amlougui were amazing. We learnt more about the pre school and the women’s centre which are the two projects volunteers will be working at. We were there at the opening ceremony of the women’s centre which was a wonderful event with singing, dancing and delicious food. By the end of the trip we were confident that Amlougui was going to be a perfect fit for people and places. Our volunteers will be able to share their skills and have the opportunity to learn a great deal in a stunning mountain village.

From Amlougui we drove down to Asni where we visited our 1st local project in Morocco ‘Education for All’. We stayed at the Villa Atlas which was very comfortable with spectacular views of the mountains. We met with the director, our main contact Latifa and the house mothers. We also got to know some of the girls and hear their stories. Again like everywhere we’ve been so far everyone was so very welcoming, kind and truly committed to the work they do. My kids and I spent one night in Asni before leaving for Marrakech where we met up with my husband and had a family holiday. 

Although we had a lovely time in Marrakech, what stayed with us to this day is our time in Amlougui and Asni. The experience has truly enriched our lives and we are grateful to all the people that made it so. If you are a potential volunteer wondering if you should give it a go or not, my message is a simple one.. go for it! The people we met were genuine and kind, the villages are stunning, our local partners are doing amazing work with their communities and you could be a part of that. It has been a privilege for me and my family and I will definitely be visiting again!