My Nonprofit Reviews

I found the High Atlas Foundation via another NGO who highly recommended the work, ethical convictions and approach of the Foundation. They initialized the contact and I got in touch with Yossef and one programm manager at that time. I am coming from a technical as well as geographical background (in short: GIS).
In a preliminary VoIP call we managed to form a connection and develop some perspectives which could be beneficial to both parties. As soon as I finished my studies, I grabbed a flight to Marrakech. The people from HAF recommended me a place to stay, offered the office as a place to crash and made sure I felt connected with the quite new and overwhelming life in Morocco.
During my time in Marrakech and Essaouira in early 2014 I learned a lot about Morocco itself, the daily routines and workflows at an international NGO and the struggle involved to better the lifes of people in a country like Morocco. My duties were composed of (no surprise): making maps, crunching numbers and doing research. As I had to cut my stay short (2 instead of 6 months), I was merely settling in and left with the impression of being a sort of letdown since the time was too short to have a meaningful impact. But nevertheless, I felt very appreciated and was taking seriously on a professional level while having enough space to sort things out for myself.
The people at HAF are hardworking, passionate and full of idealism to build a better future for a country on the brink of Europe, having an anticipation of freedom, wealth and cultural exchange. HAF will play a vital part in making this anticipation a reality.
The last little paragraph also explains why I rate only 4 stars despite I can fully recommend HAF for volunteers. The drive and passion of the people working there can be overwhelming for someone like me. If you have a high sense of duty and feel bad leaving when others are poring over loads of work, you may want to agree on working hours/days before your actually start. I do not regret one hour at HAF's office but should have - on the other hand - spent some more time outside learning about the new culture. So, just be careful to not get in overdrive when you are merely adopting to Moroccan life.
That being said, I, again, can fully recommend HAF. And the best part of the story: the volunteering abroad at HAF helped me to score a job contract. In the end, I can only hope to visit Morocco and HAF sometime again - be it as a professional, volunteer or traveller.

I wish all the best for HAF and its great people.