My Experience with MCAS

I had a seriously disappointing and discouraging experience with the Moroccan Center for Arabic Studies and its Program Director. Earlier this year and for 6 weeks, I volunteered as an English teacher at a Middle School in Rabat.

I started questioning a lot of things early on and decided I had to share my concerns with the Program Director. So I did, twice. Once on my own and once with a fellow volunteer. The outcomes of these conversations confirmed all my doubts.

To keep it as concise as possible:
- I experienced first hand the lack of structure, curriculum, and continuity in the teaching English program. I taught a group of mainly new students (meaning they had never been taught English by a volunteer, or anyone else for that matter, before) and wasn’t given any background or insights on the students and their level of English, what previous volunteers have worked on and accomplished or what the organization’s goals were. It became clear that MCAS is not involved in building a program that develops the student’s learning and ensures its continuity.

- I had serious doubts about where the money I paid to cover program costs was going, so I asked the Program Director for a breakdown. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to share any financial information and instead came up with ridiculous numbers on the spot, as well as claimed to have made a donation to the school on my behalf. The Program Director confirmed all my doubts – the amount I paid is unjustified and the vast majority of it is not going where it should be, to cover our accommodation, food, etc

- The Program Director was unreliable, absent and unprofessional throughout my time in Rabat. When I needed his help or support, he often let me down. It was clear that we, as volunteers, and our work were not at all a priority of his.

- Throughout my 6 weeks in Rabat, I was almost never informed of anything important I needed to know. I was not given any information or insight into the programs by the Program Director – not even during orientation, which was all about travel in Morocco. We were also never informed of the renovation work in the volunteer house that would last for weeks, with workers coming in and out of the house at any time.

- The volunteer house did not feel like a private, safe space for me and my fellow volunteers. The Program Director invited strangers over to the volunteer house multiple times without informing us. We never knew who was going in and out of the house and, at any point, who else was there. This made our stay uncomfortable, to say the least.

The Program Director's last words to me were “I hope I never meet someone like you ever again,” accusing me of having ulterior motives and going so far as to blame it on my nationality. I’m sharing this with you because I think it reveals so much.

If you are looking to benefit communities in Rabat and leave a positive impact as a volunteer, MCAS is not the place. It’s a business.

**I went through all of this with a fellow volunteer (Catharina), whose review you can read below.