No, I did not fall off the face of the Earth!
Since my last entry I’ve been here, there and everywhere in Morocco…and now where to begin telling you all about it?! I’m aiming to put a post up every other day or so over the next week to catch everyone up!
SIDA/VAST Training
In the beginning of June, I went to Rabat for training on how to put together and get funding for an HIV/AIDS awareness project (it’s called SIDA over here, as the French call it). We were able to take Moroccan counterparts to the training and so I invited Hessna, the pharmacist in Tounfite. Unfortunately, at the last minute she ended up not being able to attend due to her work at the pharmacy and so I went solo. I still plan to work with her and put together some kind of ‘AIDS Awareness Community Day’ in Tounfite either later this year, or next Spring, enshalla.
It was a real shame that she couldn’t come with me, as it would have been a pretty 'big deal'. Funding for the training allowed us to stay in a 3-star hotel and meals were included...heck, it was a big deal for me! Also, there is a small beach in Rabat (nothing special as it’s in such a big city), but one evening after training, Marisa and I took two Moroccan counterparts to it as they had never seen the ocean before. It was fun to watch them walk in sand for the first time and walk in the water.
On the third day of the training, we took a field trip to Casablanca, which was a treat in itself as we took a private CTM bus (posh coach), which had air conditioning, which is something I haven’t had in a while! The field trip was to an NGO called Asssocition du Jour, the only
organization in Morocco that works directly with HIV positive people.. The NGO was created by Moroccans, in order to provide assistance to people who are HIV/AIDS positive and need to come to Casablanca for doctor’s appointments, etc…It was quite a powerful experience as we got to hear firsthand stories of how their lives are affected, how they became infected, etc...The NGO secured funding for an apartment in Casablanca and so when patients need to come into the city for doctor’s appointments, they are able to stay with their accompanying family members in the apartment at no charge. The focus of the training was reducing the stigma around the disease. Since it is a hshuma (taboo/shameful) topic, a large majority of Moroccan's (especially in small rural villages) are ignorant on the subject, hence a massive stigma on the topic. The field trip was powerful as our Moroccan counterparts got to meet people living with the disease and saw for themselves that they are normal people, trying to live a normal life, which was a the first small step in reducing the stigma and educating people. The NGO and its members were so welcoming to us, they even put on a cous cous lunch. It was delicious and most certainly the biggest dish of cous cous I’ve seen in my life-picture below!
organization in Morocco that works directly with HIV positive people.. The NGO was created by Moroccans, in order to provide assistance to people who are HIV/AIDS positive and need to come to Casablanca for doctor’s appointments, etc…It was quite a powerful experience as we got to hear firsthand stories of how their lives are affected, how they became infected, etc...The NGO secured funding for an apartment in Casablanca and so when patients need to come into the city for doctor’s appointments, they are able to stay with their accompanying family members in the apartment at no charge. The focus of the training was reducing the stigma around the disease. Since it is a hshuma (taboo/shameful) topic, a large majority of Moroccan's (especially in small rural villages) are ignorant on the subject, hence a massive stigma on the topic. The field trip was powerful as our Moroccan counterparts got to meet people living with the disease and saw for themselves that they are normal people, trying to live a normal life, which was a the first small step in reducing the stigma and educating people. The NGO and its members were so welcoming to us, they even put on a cous cous lunch. It was delicious and most certainly the biggest dish of cous cous I’ve seen in my life-picture below!
I also got to see Rabat’s reaction when Morocco won against Algeria in a ‘big deal’ soccer match. The streets were absolutely flooded with thousands of people. The entire city’s traffic came to an almost standstill after the game as people poured into the streets. It was insane, there were people standing/surfing on top of vehicles, flags everywhere and endless chanting! Quite the atmosphere!
After the training I headed straight to Mehdia for a week long training called ‘In-Service Training (IST)’…but I’ll save that for the next post!
Be Back Soon! X
