Volunteering in Morocco

For a week girls spent time in the desert with the Bedouin tribe, and also experienced life in a conservative Berber community in the Atlas Mountains. The girls also learned about the geology of the area while travelling through spectacular desert landscapes.

In the Atlas Mountains, our team visited a girls’ boarding school, had an Arabic lesson from a local school teacher, played with children of all ages, trekked through the mountains and bathed in the local Hamman.  

A real highlight during their time in the village was helping to harvest the saffron crop. Linda Cruse and her team found this precious flower growing wild over 10 years ago and helped the villagers to produce and market it. Because of its high price (it’s worth more per ounce than gold) this discovery has had a very positive impact on the community.

Aims

The aim was to provide real cultural immersion to help them understand the beliefs, philosophies and ways of life of these indigenous people.

Background

Linda Cruse is an alumna of Redmaids' High and has worked as an international humanitarian for the past two decades.

Pupil Involvement

The expedition was open for girls in Year 9.