A Dream Come True

On the outskirts of Larache, there lies a village, which is poor and abandoned. Rakada, hidden and forgotten behind a simple dirt path, is located some 7 miles from Larache. . Only 200 meters separates the village from the Atlantic ocean and this place is a jumping off point for drugs on their way to Spain and illegal immigrants that dream of making to the Spanish coasts. For young people, to be born here means to grow up in a world where life is difficult and few will be able to ever escape the harsh reality of life here. As for the girls, many will never have the opportunity to study more than the first six years of elementary school. Here there are no middle or high schools and the only option to continue would be to travel to Larache, 10 km from Rakada. For many of the parents the city is a dangerous world and they prefer that their daughter stays in the house to help the family instead of sending her off, away from the watchful eye of her brothers, cousins, etc. For the boys, if they don't get involved with the drug mafias they will pass an adolescence trapped inside of a dark world where there are plenty of drugs everywhere but there are no job opportunities. Frustrated, weak, and defeated by the village life and the routine of a drug addict they will pass their days dreaming of an easier life in the city or in Spain. When we think of international aid, when we think of the people that need us more than anyone, they are places like this, like Rakada, that ask for whatever little help we can offer. The truth is that there are thousands Rakadas in Morocco and thousands and thousands of children who will have to grow up in an environment like this one. With confidence in our ability to make an impact, the help of TS-CPLP, individuals in Spain, and local associations we came together to plan an activity of animation to bring a little bit of light, joy, and education to the children of Rakada. Our instructor and friend in the course, Seloua, is a teacher here and she took care of the huge task of facilitating for us access to the school and the community. For a week the students in the course, besides their normal responsibilities, worked to prepare the activity. Come now, with us and discover the beauty of the work that these socio-cultural monitors do and the things that are possible with a little bit of money, a voluntary spirit that has no end, and a group of children that need to laugh, paint, create things, and feel good about themselves and the world that they live in.

Before Getting Started There Was Some Prep Work To Get Done

Everybody Participated

9:00-10:00

10:30-11:30 Our Monitors Warm Up The Crowd

They themselves didn't hesitate to demonstrate their artistic talent.

It Seems That For Every Part of the World There is a Rap Star...

And at 11:30 we could get started with the workshops

Arts and Crafts

Workshop on Raising Awareness of Recycling and the Environment

Two Parts

1)Collect Trash Around the School Zone and Raise Awareness Amongst the Students About the Importance of Respecting the Environment

2)Recycling Workshop. How To Transform Trash Into A Treasure!

Art Workshop

The Grand Finale...Our Lovable Clowns Haninu and Fininu

Everybody is Loving the Performance

The children said that it was not only the first time that someone had come from outside to do something for the public but for many of the children it was the first time in their life that they had seen a clown!

Thanks to everyone who made this idea a reality. On this day, 120 children had the opportunity to have fun, play, and feel good.

¡¡¡Chukran!!!

VI Spring Intercultural Encounter Hispano-Moroccan In Larache Morocco

The Luckiest Guy In The World

That’s the way I felt walking home under a gentle blue sky, knowing that I do THIS for my job, and for the first time in my life I thought that its truly possible that nobody else has it as good as I do.

Saturday night we wrapped up the sixth version of Semana Santa, and looking back on it now, I cant quite get my grip around the words worthy of expressing what every person, all 33 of us that were in that room, felt last night. It was a moving experience, something that touched all of our souls, brought joy to our bodies as well as our minds, and we were all there united by our love for this life, love for human beings, and love of sociocultural animation.

The program…

Friday

Introduction and Commencement of the VI Spanish-Moroccan Intercultural Encounter.

Workshop and presentation by the students of the class Technician Socio Cultural of Larache- The History of Larache

Workshops presented by members of the class of Socio Cultural Animation of the Superior Institute of the Macarena, Seville-Spain

a) How to Plan an Activity

1) Ten Easy Steps To Plan a Carnival

b) Methods for the creation of dynamics through the use of ones creativity

1) Through art…come up with an idea for an activity in the field of sociocultural animation

c) Conflict Resolution

Saturday

a) Morning workshop: Popular games of Spain and Morocco.

Alternating between games and dynamics that are well known in each country.

b) Dance Workshop

Exposition of Spanish dance. Flamenco and Sevillanas.

c) Group Lunch

d) Juggling Workshop

e) Cooking Workshop

-How to make Andalusian food- Salmorejo

f) Costume and face painting Workshop

g) Carnival-Fiesta

h) Closure of the VI Semana Santa

Its moments like these that give me hope. I know what everyone is saying, I know that the prospects are dim. I have even heard the trees themselves say that there way of life is dying and that mother earth is suffering badly. The elders say that every generation is worse than the last, the teachers say that the students don’t want to study anymore like they used to, and young people themselves say that there is no hope and no future for them in today’s world. Yet, as god as my witness, there is something out there makes me believe and there is something special that I see in the young people that I work with. I know in the deep of my heart that there is still a chance out there, and as of yet, I have not lost hope neither in the goodness of the human spirit, and its infinite possibility for regrowth, forgiveness, and new beginnings.

Now it’s not easy to transmit this hope that I possess but I know I am not only the one. In fact I hope that my own hope is contagious to others out there. And just in case anyone is not convinced…take a look at some of the photos taken during the activities this weekend.

Peace love and truth everybody!!!

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Thanks!!!