Take your nomadic yearnings to the next level with Projects Abroad’s volunteer Nomad Projects in Morocco and Mongolia.

Been There, Done That? Think again.

Whether you’re an adventurous student, career breaker, retiree, or traveler seeking more meaningful experiences, these two cultural projects take you well beyond the ordinary.

Sign up for Project Abroad’s Nomadic Life placement and you’ll join a group of Mongolian Steppe or Moroccan Sahara nomads and experience an ancient way of life virtually inaccessible to outsiders.  

 

Morocco Nomad Project
Volunteers on the Morocco Nomad Project travel five hours by road from Ouarzazate to the small town of M’Hamid, which edges onto the largest desert in the world. After a night’s rest in M’Hamid under the stars, volunteers travel for another five hours to meet their desert host family. These traveling tribes herd camels and goats across the dunes in search of the most plentiful sources of water.

Volunteers who live and work with the local people can truly experience the lifestyle of this ancient civilization, and are involved in a wide range of work and cultural activities during their stay. These may include:

  • Caring for and milking the livestock
  • Helping to locate underground water sources and oases
  • Building the nomadic homes
  • Cooking bread and traditional meals in ovens under the sand
  • Mastering local Saharan handicrafts
  • Learning the local language and the songs of nomadic folklore
  • Sharing the language, games, music, sports and arts of their own homeland

 

Some volunteers opt to do a Tamazight Language Project in the capital of Rabat organized by Projects Abroad for two or four weeks before embarking on their desert adventure. The Morocco Nomad Project is available in one-, two-, three-, or four-month sessions. 

 

Mongolia Nomad Project

Nomad families make up nearly forty percent of the Mongolian population, and volunteers can wander with them through the endless Steppe on camels, horses and livestock. Many volunteers get to know their families better by playing traditional Mongolian games, teaching some English, and perhaps learning a bit of the Mongolian language, all while enjoying the spectacular scenery of the Mongolian Steppe.

During their stay, volunteers live with a family in large round tents known as Gers, and take on daily activities  including:

  • Riding horses to move herds of yaks or cattle
  • Caring for livestock
  • Helping to produce dairy products such as butter and cheese
  • Teaching English
  • Learning and playing Mongolian games

 

The Mongolia Nomad Project is offered in a two-week or one-, two-, three- or four-month sessions.

 

To learn more about Projects Abroad’s Nomad Projects, visit www.projects-abroad.org or call 1-888-839-3535.

 

About Projects Abroad
Projects Abroad was founded in 1992 by Dr. Peter Slowe, a geography professor, as a program for students to travel and work while on break from full-time study. The program had its genesis in post-USSR Romania, where students were given the chance to teach conversational English. After a few years just sending volunteers to Eastern Europe for teaching, the company expanded to sending volunteers of all ages around the world on a wide range of projects.

Projects Abroad is a global leader in short-term international volunteer programs with projects in 26 countries and recruitment offices in the UK, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Holland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and the United States.

 

For details on volunteering overseas, visit Projects Abroad’s website at www.projects-abroad.org.

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Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".