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Tag: Morocco

One resource, double the impact

One resource, double the impact

Back in 2021, at the height of the Covid pandemic, a great partnership developed between one of our volunteers, Joanne, and Lisong, principal of Mary’s Little Lambs nursery and lower basic school in The Gambia.  Joanne owned and ran a nursery school in the UK and was involved in training nursery-school teachers, and the original plan was for her to go to The Gambia and work with Lisong to run training sessions for nursery teachers there.  However the pandemic intervened…

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Honouring Mike McHugo of Education for All

Honouring Mike McHugo of Education for All

Sallie first met Mike in 2009 and we just knew we could work together. Mike is now stepping down from day to day trustee work – here’s the announcement from Education for All – we want to say a huge thankyou to Mike and wish him well in his new role. After many years of service as Chair and as a Trustee, of Education for All Mike is stepping down from the Board – a shift that recognises both EFAM’s…

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Mariama – my first visit to people and places projects in Morocco

Mariama – my first visit to people and places projects in Morocco

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….

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How one thing led to another – two volunteers’ varying experiences in Morocco

How one thing led to another – two volunteers’ varying experiences in Morocco

Trish’s volunteer story started with a group placement in January 2025 – she was part of the Kindness Adventures group who travelled to Morocco to volunteer with our partners at Education For All.  The group of 10 ladies from USA and Canada facilitated and participated in a variety of cultural activities with 30 girls from the Education for All boarding houses and two of their house-mothers. Together they did a guided tour of the medina in Marrakech, a cycling tour,…

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Group volunteering – a different way to volunteer – a story from Morocco

Group volunteering – a different way to volunteer – a story from Morocco

In January we organised a second group placement for Kindness Adventures, an American organisation looking for an opportunity to give back to local communities. Jax (founder of Kindness Adventures and an enthusiastic participant tells us: ‘We believe that travel can be a powerful tool for personal growth and transformation, and we strive to create meaningful and impactful experiences that allow our guests to connect with the world in a deeper way. We are committed to fostering a culture of kindness…

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‘Morocco – the best of my volunteer placements!’

‘Morocco – the best of my volunteer placements!’

In October Penny set off on her third volunteer placement with people and places – this time to Morocco.  She was the first in-country volunteer they had been able to accept since the earthquake, and she arrived at the start of the school year, as the girls were settling into their new boarding house and enjoying returning to school in Asni.  These are some extracts from the reports Penny wrote at the end of her placement. ‘I have done 2…

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The Year That Changed My Life – thanks to people and places!

The Year That Changed My Life – thanks to people and places!

by volunteer Zoe File In July 2023, I walked away from a secure and much-loved job as a primary school teacher to pursue a long-cherished dream of working as a volunteer teacher overseas. For years this had been nothing more than a pipe-dream, but at the age of fifty-five it finally felt that the time was right. I was motivated by two things – the opportunity to cash in a small pension which would fund a year out of full-time…

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‘We’ve got all our girls back again now!’

‘We’ve got all our girls back again now!’

Dianne’s report after her recent visit to Morocco Our partners in Morocco, Education for All (EFA), are delighted that things are starting to get back to normal after last year’s devastating earthquake.  When schools and boarding houses were destroyed by the earthquake right at the start of the school year last September the government moved students and teachers to various other schools in Marrakech, and there they stayed for the whole of the 2023-24 school year.  EFA were eventually able…

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Return to Morocco – devastation and hope – can you help?

Return to Morocco – devastation and hope – can you help?

I am delighted to be writing this article while in Morocco – my first visit to see the people we work with from Education For All (EFA) since last September’s devastating earthquake.  It is wonderful to have the opportunity to catch up with our local partners, the house-mothers and girls in person rather than on the Zoom screen! There is still much evidence of the devastation caused by the earthquake in the town of Asni.  Many people are still living…

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Update from Morocco – temporary houses are open and e-volunteering resumes

Update from Morocco – temporary houses are open and e-volunteering resumes

It is only 3 months since the devastating earthquake struck the High Atlas region of Morocco, destroying homes, schools and the entire infrastructure of the area.  The town of Asni, location of 4 of the Education for All (EFA) boarding houses supported by our volunteers, was badly very damaged and the small town of Talaat n’Yakoub, location of the other 2 EFA houses, was completely destroyed. When we published our last newsletter in September the earthquake had only just happened…

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