In my three weeks spent in Morocco, I had the opportunity of witnessing a non-profit doing what a non-profit should be doing...and how. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I was face to face with not only my own privilege, but also the understanding that I am a part of the same community despite those privileges - the community of human beings. I learned about the nuances of cultural differences, and how they make up the identities that are the source of our pride.
I worked at AMESIP Morocco, which was founded in the late 1980s, and has since been working hard to redirect the lives of children away from the streets and broken homes and towards education. Most of the children are between ages 6 and 16, and have either left school or have never been to one. Time and again, I was reminded of my own primary school experiences, and was extremely overjoyed to learn that what I was seeing matched what I had already experienced before.
My job in the Sale branch of AMESIP was to keep them interested in school. For this extremely minute effort, the community gave me enough in return that made this trip unforgettable. Other experiences included living in a homestay that truly lived up to its name, as well as experiencing the true joy of travelling alone in a place that has so much to offer!