Volunteering has never really been my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I have a bleeding heart for just about any cause and love people helping people. But there’s something about volunteering that seems more self-serving and superficial than actually providing a service that’s needed. I believe all of that changed when I chose to volunteer with International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ).

Since I had some time to travel and wanted to visit Morocco, I thought Rabat would be perfect. I chose to teach English not because of my exceptional grammar skills, but because it seemed the popular choice and I could envision what my day looked like. I have now both lived up to the stereotype of superficial volunteering and could not have been more wrong about what to expect. The program started on Monday, and I only had one week of volunteering in front of me, followed by a few days’ travel. It’s cliché, but time flies and one week was exceptionally short, especially as soon as I understood just what I was doing there.

Orientation was Monday. We learned all about the Institute for Leadership and Communication Studies (ILCS), Morocco, and each other. We also got a tour of our placements. I would be teaching at La Fondation Orient-Occident, a community center for sub-Saharan refugees. In reality, I was teaching Moroccan adults, some of who traveled from the country to Rabat just for studies. Surprise, I’m not teaching children and I’m getting worried about my actual English skills at this point. Not to worry, I would be meeting up with my two colleagues in the morning and we would taxi to the foundation together.

Instantly, I was in over my head. The other two had been there for weeks’ prior. They got to the classroom, began writing on the white boards, and going over the lesson, like a well oiled machine. What should I do? “Talk to the students.” Of course. And since communication is my strong suit, it was easy. Class started every morning at 10:00 and ended at noon. Most of the students didn’t trickle in until 10:30, but a few would stay after class for some one-on-one attention. “Good morning, teacher.” The routine soon became very familiar, and it was great. To begin, we had three vocabulary words to learn and form new sentences with. Then, a grammar lesson. Last, a song or story to go over aloud and talk about at the end. It warms your heart each time someone grabs your attention and says, “Teacher?” It seemed so funny to me, that word, yet these adults are all very serious and eager to learn English. This was nothing like the so many 2-hour group volunteer sessions I’d been a part of. For one, it didn’t require more work of the foundation just to accommodate us. And also, I knew this was very important to the people on the receiving end.

Now, many of my students did speak French, because they’ve chosen to educate themselves and it couldn’t be more evident. The skill levels ranged from elementary to college level, but everyone put in equal effort. They are starved for attention and understanding. And this is when I learned that teaching is extremely difficult. Even with the couple of hours put in at night to prepare, the lessons never go as expected, you hope you had and effect and you wish you could do more. But they learned. I know it because I’ve been a student in so many ways in life. Each day, they took something away and they got to listen to and speak English for two hours.

When Friday came, there’s no doubt it was too soon. A colleague of mine was also leaving that day, and the students were sad. How are they going to learn English without us? We got so many questions for more resources and schools. It’s clear that there aren’t enough inexpensive options, and there are next to no English books in Morocco. I was able to find an Arabic English dictionary to leave with the school, and the other teachers did the same. But we knew it wasn’t enough. This is the moment my heart breaks, and also the moment I believe in volunteering. These people are deserving of knowledge; it does seem to be the least someone could ask for.

Overall, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. And I will absolutely be looking to IVHQ for my next travel destination.

My one week women's education volunteering was an eye opening experience. I truly felt challenged trying to teach a small group of women how to read and write as well as basic words in French. I bought some books & notebooks and off we went, repeating sounds, syllables & words, drawing objects and playing basic games. One day I was "trapped" in a middle of a very controversial conversation of which vegetables go into a tajine pot, one of the most special moments of my trip. And the hugs I got at the end of the class were the most genuine way of saying thank you!

During one of my solo train rides, I met a woman named Nadia and her brother! They made my 4-hr-long train ride from Marrakech to Rabat much more fun! Luckily her brother spoke a little bit of English so whenever I couldn't remember how to say something in French (and believe me, it happened often) I was able to still communicate with them. We had SO much fun! They laughed a lot (and I did too), specially when they tried to teach me some words in Arabic and I would try to say them with a funky accent.

Nadia runs her own bakery business, it's small because she is the one that makes the pastries and the costumers are people close to her family. She was going to the Italian Consulate in Casablanca because she wanted to visit her husband who is working in Italy. I mentioned that I liked her head scarf and just a few minutes before her stop, I noticed how she quickly and smoothly changed it to another one. I thought that maybe she wanted to wear one with a more sober color to the Consulate. However, it wasn't until we arrived at their stop and they were standing that she gave me her "pretty pink head scarf" as a gift ♥ I also got to try one of her "petits gâteaux" .. IT WAS SO GOOD.

I was worried about being alone in Morocco, but I always felt safe and took the risk to talk to the locals and make amazing memories. DARE MIGHTY THINGS!

My daughter Alex and I volunteered in Rabat, Morocco in Child care during Ramadan 2016. We are very experienced travelers and have volunteered in 8 countries with poverty children. We know to spend time observing a placement and find a way to make an impact on the existing situation. We have had great success bringing bags of educational and fun material to share with the kids. After several days of reading, coloring, painting, beachballs, and music, we decided it was time for mustache Day!!! We had several bags of black pretend moustaches and covered the boys, girls and a few babies with moustaches. It was hilarious and several looked like their grandfathers! One adorable girl gave us a thumbs up and for an instant looked like Borat. Along with bubbles, balloons, beachballs and music, it was a crazy fun day. Even more comical was the look on the parents faces as they picked up their little moustached child! We certainly taught all the kids the english word for moustache!!

I have not been able to stop thinking about Morocco since I left. The culture was amazing, our homestay made us feel like we were family, and the other fellow volunteers have become lifetime friends. I went to Morocco to help people, and I feel like I did, but the biggest impact was on me. Because of Morocco, I am forever changed for the better. So travel out of your comfort zone and make some of the most incredible memories of your life.

This was my first trip out of the U.S. and I took it alone. It was such a wonderful experience. Morocco was beautiful, host family was amazing, and I don't know what I would have done without the people that I met in the program. I was placed at a host residence with another female traveler and we went everywhere together. I loved participating in Ramadan in Morocco! The close knit family dynamic was so comforting. I would 100% recommend and return.

I volunteered in Morocco for five months at a refugee center called Foundation Occident Orrient. It was a great experience that taught me so much, even thought I was the teacher. My students were adult, all over 20 years old, and they were very receptive to knowledge. Most of my students were from Yemen and Morocco and some from Mali and Nigeria.

The staff at IVHQ/ILCS was amazing! I love Najat and Samad--they are willing to help you with anything. My host family was great and very accommodating.

The staff at my placement--the Foundation--were very hands off. Volunteers should be aware that they will have to plan a curriculum and might have to pay for transportation to their placement. I had very little contact with the administration and when volunteers came and went, I was the one handling everything. By the end of my five months I was teaching three classes at the foundation, but the administration had nothing to do with scheduling.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I would 100% do it again. I was working a lot but had plenty of time to travel and have fun. I met some amazing other volunteers and made friends for life. I highly recommend this program.

I participated in the ILCS / IVHQ teaching English program in Morocco for six weeks. The students in my class were adult refugees with the largest demographic being Yemeni.

It was challenging work. We had no common language, meaning that my instruction was limited to examples, drawings and actions. In spite of this, however, my students kept returning to class. I was inspired by their determination, and I worked hard to improve myself as a teacher.

As native English speakers, the volunteers are responsible for the curriculum. While you don't need any teaching qualifications, a good understanding of English grammar is essential. If you're not familiar with the more subtle points, be prepared to learn on the job.

The teaching center was nice, thought not always well equipped. I would recommend for you to bring some simple English books, as stories make for engaging lessons. Be sure to buy or bring a large number of whiteboard markers. They run out quicker than you'd expect, and I often had trouble finding more.

My host family was lovely, but beware! Moroccans love food, so it's likely that you'll put on a few pounds.

I also took Modern Standard Arabic classes with ILCS. I thoroughly enjoyed myself during my forty hours of instruction, and liked my teacher.

If you have any questions about the program, feel free to contact me. Yes, I am a real person. No, I'm not paid to say any of this. It's a good organization run by honest people who do strive to do meaningful work.

- Hudson Leone