This is my third week in Morocco and it has been exhausting but I've learned so much in that amount of time, especially about my placement and the work it does, language, street lingo (we got ripped off as foreigners and charged 4 times the price of a regular taxi ride! we learned not to back down for next time) and culture, including the wonderful mint tea.
The organization that I am interning for fights for the rights of Berber women, who often are illiterate in Arabic and don't know about their legal rights concerning marriage contracts, divorce, inheritance etc. It also supports Berber women who are victims of domestic violence (there are many, but to ask for a divorce or leave your husband is to commit social suicide so nobody says anything).
So this past weekend, we took a trip down to the desert in order to visit rural Berber women and hear their stories, as well as provide encouragement and support in the hardships that they face. The scenery was incredible and looked like a movie set. We even saw wild camels! (not featured, I couldn't get a good shot unfortunately).
A lawyer also came along with us, talking to them about their legal rights and how they could use them to their advantage. They seemed really happy to learn about our organization and that people out there in the cities are supporting them. They shared their stories about dealing with divorce, girls dropping out of school after middle school to stay home and help out and get married, as well as the unequal conditions for marriage between boys and girls and why they believe arranged marriage is the best solution to avoiding conflict in the home. I gathered excellent material for my capstone project!
We spent the night in Marrakesh and returned to Rabat this morning. This week at my placement we will compile the pictures and information from the trip and continue to update the website.
The organization that I am interning for fights for the rights of Berber women, who often are illiterate in Arabic and don't know about their legal rights concerning marriage contracts, divorce, inheritance etc. It also supports Berber women who are victims of domestic violence (there are many, but to ask for a divorce or leave your husband is to commit social suicide so nobody says anything).
So this past weekend, we took a trip down to the desert in order to visit rural Berber women and hear their stories, as well as provide encouragement and support in the hardships that they face. The scenery was incredible and looked like a movie set. We even saw wild camels! (not featured, I couldn't get a good shot unfortunately).
A lawyer also came along with us, talking to them about their legal rights and how they could use them to their advantage. They seemed really happy to learn about our organization and that people out there in the cities are supporting them. They shared their stories about dealing with divorce, girls dropping out of school after middle school to stay home and help out and get married, as well as the unequal conditions for marriage between boys and girls and why they believe arranged marriage is the best solution to avoiding conflict in the home. I gathered excellent material for my capstone project!
We spent the night in Marrakesh and returned to Rabat this morning. This week at my placement we will compile the pictures and information from the trip and continue to update the website.
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