Volunteer trip in Morocco – Live and work with Nomads

Our volunteer trip in Morocco is your unique experience/vacation to stay with the last nomads in the Atlas mountains and become a part of their family. Immerse yourself in a different lifestyle and different culture, and learn new skills, discover and challenge yourself through this challenging lifestyle in the wild of Morocco. In collaboration with Adrar Travel company, This sustainable volunteer project will take from one week to 2 months depending on your availability and the nomad transhumance.

Throughout our beyond ordinary experience living and working with a nomad family offers a singular and enriching experience. This project offers participants the chance to positively influence the lives of nomadic groups in addition to immersing them in Morocco’s rich cultural tapestry. The significance of volunteering with nomads in Morocco will be discussed in this text, as well as how it can be a life-changing experience for people looking to exchange cultures and form meaningful connections.

Availability: anytime

Minumum volunteering: one week

Location: Jebel Saghro during winter and High Atlas during summer months

Age: 16 year old minimum

 

ABOUT OUR VOLUNTEER TRIP IN Morocco:

Where is this volunteer work in Morocco located?

Nomads we work with are a part of Ait Atta tribes, their homeland is the Jbel Saghro mountains in Southeast Morocco, and this is where they camp with their herd for the winter months( from May to September). However, they travel to the High Atlas mountains during summer months, a transhumance trip that takes up to 15 days to walk to finally settle at their pastures from mid-September to mid-May when they go back to their homeland.

Our volunteer with nomads would take place following the nomads’ movement at Jbel Saghro as well as in the High Atlas mountains in the region of Ait Bouguemez valley.

Working and living with nomads:

Nomads in Morocco depend on their herd as the main source of living. Therefore daily tasks are mostly about taking care of the animals, either grazing them, milking, or helping them. It’s a camping settlement, daily tasks can be also to provide food for the camp, by the food we mean even the basic needs that 80% of people don’t think about anymore, bringing water or firewood as an example.

When Nomads are in their homeland in Jbel Saghro, water can be a real problem. This region is partly desertic mountain with limited water. Watering the goats and water itself can be one of the main jobs for you during this experience, you will know that “Aman Iman” meaning Water is life.

Learn about the nomad lifestyle:

By living and working with nomads in Morocco you will learn first to appreciate what you have and be happy with simple things. This is also an opportunity to explore the Atlas mountains and get in touch with nature. You will be in the wild, which means you will experience the best sunsets, sunrises, starry nights, amazing views, and landscapes. As animals are part of the experience, you will learn more about goats and how to take care of them as well as camels, donkeys, dogs, and chickens.

Help your nomad family with chores and activities:

During your stay with a nomad family, we encourage you to get involved and participate in all kinds of daily chores of your host family. You will help with grazing goats, feeding and watering them, milking them, preparing food, bringing water for the camp, and bringing firewood. No experience with this? No problem, our guide will be with you on the first days to create a bring between you and the family and guide you through daily tasks. In addition, the host nomad family will be patient and happy to help you learn about their way of life.

Teach English to Nomad kids:

A part of your impact on this immersion project in Morocco is to teach English, French, and Spanish to the nomads. most nomad families support the education of their kids, they would be very happy to see you helping. It’s also a great way to relax and get to know the family better.

Is this Volunteer with nomads right for me?

The nomad lifestyle is a hard lifestyle that takes place in the wild of the Atlas mountains. This is not a volunteer experience for everyone. But if you love culture exchange, you love nature and mountains, and you love to be around people with lots of goats, camels, and donkeys this can be your lifestyle experience.

You don’t need any experience for this project. We provide you with full assistance during your volunteer work. If you are willing to help and learn this can be an inspiring trip that will teach you a lot.

The Amazigh Nomad family would appreciate your help at any time, especially during winter when they send their kids to school.

What i should bring for this experience?

As you already know, this volunteer experience in Morocco requires camping, hiking, and being in the wild of the Atlas Mountains. Take into consideration bringing your camping gear including a tent, sleeping bag, hiking shoes, warm clothes, lighter and batteries, waterproof clothes, camera, and enough memory cards. You will not need to bring your food, however, it’s better to bring some snacks or your food if you are into a particular diet.

The nomad tent is always open for you to cook, relax, and eat. If it’s summertime when you don’t need a sleeping bag.

How is my typical day for this volunteer program in Morocco?

The majority of the time, nomads get up early. You can immediately start the nomad’s daily routine after helping to prepare and eat breakfast with the nomad family.

Your first step might be to examine and milk the goats that need to be milked. Separate the young goats from the herd (if the babies are still small, they remain at the camp). Later on, you can spend the entire day helping the goats graze, or you can load the donkeys and head for the water or firewood and then return to the camp. In the afternoon, you can spend time reading or relaxing at the camp.

As night falls, goats would return to the camp. It’s time also to make dinner, milk the goats, and spend time with your nomad family by the fire. We encourage you to get the kids together (since they would be around if it is a holiday) and spend some time teaching them, along with learning a few Amazigh words.

What is the food like when working with nomads?

Like anywhere among the remote areas in Morocco, Moroccan food consists of Tangin, Couscous, beans, lintels, vegetables, season fruit, omelet, Soup, and meat. As a volunteer in Morocco, we would be happy to provide you with some additional food that you can cook or some food that you may not find within the family, such as spaghetti, tona, and cheese.

Before confirming the work and live with nomads trip, please let us know if you have a special diet.

Weather and life conditions for living with nomads:

In winter, Jbel Saghro can get very cold at night and in the early morning, although it can get warm during the day, depending on the Moroccan season and weather. It’s advised to pack for any kind of weather when participating in this cultural volunteer trip. We will make sure to give you a packing list depending on the time and duration you will spend with nomads.

You will sleep in your tent, just a few steps from the nomad tent in the heart of the mountainous landscape. during the night and early mornings, it can be very cold, so make sure to well choose your camping gear including a tent and sleeping bag.

Your safety is our prime concern, we know very well the nomad family we work with and our team is ready to support you at any time. Let us know of any need of yours and we will try our best to make it achieved.

What we provide for this trip?

We will take care of your transport from Marrakech or another city in Morocco, We provide you with an English-speaking driver/guide who will lead you through the full details of the trip. Our guide will be with you for the first 3 days to introduce you to the family and teach you how to involved in the daily chores.

We provide you with a full board during the trip, however, it’s recommended to bring your snack or any particular food that you may not find in Morocco.

We provide full assistance after every week you spend with nomads. By the end of the volunteer project with nomads, we will pick you up from the camp and drive you back to Marrakech.

 

Impact of this volunteer trip to Morocco?

Our volunteer trip in Morocco is a sustainable experience that aims to live and work with nomads, to learn learn about the last nomads in the country and their lifestyle. As our traveling philosophy is based on having a good impact on locals, we wanted to give a hand to the nomad families through our adventures.

This outdoor experience in Morocco will provide an opportunity to support the nomad families and their centuries-old way of life, which is in danger of disappearing due to a combination of challenges including drought and decreased productivity. Families that are nomads are frequently forced to move to cities in search of employment.

Working as a volunteer with nomads in Morocco allows you to address the issues these communities confront while also building a bridge across cultures. Volunteers can help with a variety of sustainable development projects, from educational campaigns to environmental protection. Through engaging in daily activities with nomads, volunteers acquire an understanding of the difficulties these communities encounter and collaborate to devise workable solutions.

Price for this experience:

The cost of your volunteer trip in Morocco will vary depending on the time of year and how long you wish to stay with the nomad family.  Same as our homestay with nomads our primary goal is to support the hosted family, any booking fees will be 40% for them. Starting from 500$ our prices are suitable and can help you to get involved in this volunteer program in Morocco. We give discounts to students and kids under 18 years old. Contact us for details