Unsung Hero # 11, Sara!

Interview with Sara Saba

Sara Saba in an American intern at Dar Si Hmad working with

the RISE Program and curriculum translation.

Interview conducted on 13 March 2018.

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Sara Saba and I am 18 years old.

Where are you from?

I am from Tucson, Arizona in the United States.

How long will you be in Agadir?

I’ve been in Agadir for about two and a half weeks, and I will be

here for another four weeks.

Where do you currently go to school?

I am currently a senior [final year] at BASIS Tucson North High

School in Tucson.

What brought you to Agadir/ DSH?

My high school has an opportunity for seniors to pursue an independent

research project or internship during their final trimester of school. Most

students do their projects domestically, but I knew I wanted to do

something abroad if I could find the right opportunity. I knew that I

wouldn’t necessarily have this time again to pursue any type of project/

internship that I wanted, so I had to make the most of it. I heard about

Dar Si Hmad through a family member, and the organization caught my

interest because of its mission and values. The combination of environmental

work and giving back to the community [through programs like RISE and the

Oasis School] was very interesting and inspiring to me. I was drawn to Dar

Si Hmad as a result of its many approaches to provide different types of aid

to this community. Thankfully, it worked out so that I could travel abroad for

my final trimester and intern at a place I’m really interested in.

Describe your role at DSH.

I’ve been helping with the curriculum design and facilitation of the new RISE

program this semester with Georgia, Alex, Natalie, Maisie, Hafida and Ayman.

In addition, I’m going to be helping Soufian and Karima with translation of the

Oasis School curriculum from French into English. I am also pursuing an

independent project to understand the experiences of young people in Morocco

and the issues they face, which directly ties into this semester RISE. I’ll be

creating a video interview series to achieve this, and I hope to involve our

current RISErs.

What is your favorite part about coming to DSH?

Dandara is definitely one of my favorite parts about coming into Dar

Si Hmad. She is so adorable, and I love it when she plays with me or

naps on my backpack while I’m working. It’s also been really exciting

to get to know all of the DSH staff and interns as well as all of the RISE

participants. I’ve really enjoyed all of these new experiences meeting

people who have grown up in a place so different from me and to see

so many similarities in regards to our ideas, passions, challenges and interests.

What are you hoping to achieve during your time here?

I would really like to work on understanding other people’s perspectives,

especially the RISE students’, and to learn more about my own perspectives

as an American. I hope to obtain a better sense of where people’s perspectives,

ideas and thoughts stem from as a result of the environment they’ve grown

up in.

What is one thing you’d like everyone to know about DSH?

Don’t discount organizations based on their size. Even though Dar Si Hmad

is such a small organization, they have made such a large impact with their

work, and they possess so much potential. The people and projects here

are truly impressive and inspiring.

Unsung Hero #10, Ayman

Interview with Ayman Taleb

Ayman is a local intern here at Dar Si Hmad who is heavily involved in

the new semester of RISE this year. He plays a very important role as a

young Moroccan and RISE alumni himself in the curriculum design and

facilitation of the RISE sessions.

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Ayman Taleb and I am 24 years old.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Agadir, but my parents are from Essaouira, and it feels

like a second home to me as well. .

Are you currently in school/ studying and if so where?

Last year I got my masters in Quality Safety and Environmental Management

specializing in food safety from FST (Faculty of Science and Technology) Beni Mellal

in Mohammedia

Describe your role at DSH/ how you became involved with DSH

I had always heard about Dar Si Hmad and their fog harvesting project

and was really interested by the work that they do. I began following them

on social media and coincidentally came across the advertisement for the RISE

program and application last semester with two days left to apply. I knew I had

to apply, so I did and was accepted. I’ve been in touch with Dar Si Hmad ever since.

Last semester, Maisie helped me out with another program that I was applying

for, and through that we shared our mutual interest and passion in social issues.

As a result, when I heard about the RISE session assistant position, I applied

immediately. I am now currently a RISE session assistant, so I help plan the

sessions, design the new curriculum for this semester and help facilitate the

sessions. The goal of my position is to make it easier for participants to share

personal experiences and help connect our American interns to understand

how these social issues are presented in Moroccan society.   

What is your favorite part about coming to DSH?

The staff and interns here are my favorite part about coming into Dar Si Hmad!

When I come here I feel like I have a purpose. There’s magnificent, positive

energy here. Everyone is so open minded, and I love how the office maintains

professionalism while also being open, engaging and supportive. There’s a big f

ocus on the relationships between everyone in the office. I feel like I am a part

of something big and special when I come into Dar Si Hmad.

What is one thing you’d like everyone to know about DSH?

Everyone at Dar Si Hmad is so enthusiastic and genuine. There’s a shared

excitement for the work here, and your voice and opinions will always be

heard. There’s no hierarchy here. It’s very cooperative and collaborative, and

I love being apart of an office like this.

What is one of your most memorable moments at DSH thus far?

Some of the other interns and staff here at Dar Si Hmad did a mock interview for

me in preparation for a big interview I had coming up, and I have never felt so

much support as I did in that moment. I felt so capable of achieving anything I

set my mind to. They gave me some great advice and helped me believe in

myself and my skills. The support meant so much to me, and I’ll never forget

that experience.

What are you hoping to achieve during your time here?

I hope to help create a supportive and safe environment in RISE so everyone

feels free to express and share their personal experiences and stories. I would

also like to develop my professional skills through helping facilitate RISE

sessions and learn more about how NGOs are run.

Unsung Hero #9: Hafida!

Interview With Hafida Zoud

Hafida is a local intern here at Dar Si Hmad who is heavily involved

in the new semester of RISE this year. She plays a very important role

as a young Moroccan and RISE alumni herself in the curriculum

design and facilitation of the RISE sessions.

What is your name and how old are you?

My name is Hafida Mazoud and I am 22 years old.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Agadir. My parents are from a small village

in the Haha tribes near Imintanout.

Are you currently in school/ studying and if so where?

In 2015 I received my bachelors degree in Food Technology from

FST (Faculty of Science and Technology) of Beni Mellal.

In 2017, I got my masters in Food Safety and Quality Management

at Fst Mohammedia.

Describe your role at DSH/ how you became involved with DSH.

I originally heard about Dar Si Hmad from one of my friends who was

an EYA (Environmental Youth Ambassador) and RISE alumni. She was

always talking about Dar Si Hmad, so I began following them on social

media and became very interested in the organization. This past fall, I finally

got to participate in the RISE program that focused on professional skills

and development. I loved it so much and knew I wanted to continue to be

involved with Dar Si Hmad. At the end of January and beginning of February

this year, I joined an EFS program to Sidi Ifni as a speaking partner where

we got to see the famous fog harvesting project, which was amazing! I am

currently a RISE session assistant for this new semester. I help plan and

design the lessons and facilitate the sessions. My position is important

because I help provide a Moroccan perspective while designing this new

curriculum with the other RISE assistants, who are American. This way we

have both Moroccan and American perspectives incorporated into these

global social issues that we’re discussing in RISE. The goal of my position

is also to help the RISErs feel more comfortable and open to sharing if they

feel more hesitant to do so.  

What is your favorite part about coming to DSH?

My favorite part about coming into Dar Si Hmad is the discussions

we have in the RISE planning sessions as well as the actual sessions

with the participants. I love being with you guys and exchanging our

opinions and perspectives. I’ve learned a lot from all of the other interns

and staff here at Dar Si Hmad, both Moroccan and American. I’ve improved

my professional skills and learned how to manage professionalism

and fun in the same environment.

What is one thing you’d like everyone to know about DSH?

There are a lot of organizations here that are simply for show, but I want

everyone to know that Dar Si Hmad is a very legitimate NGO that is

passionate about real issues in our community and is making a significant

impact. The Dar Si Hmad team and projects are professional, versatile,

competent and concrete.

What is one of your most memorable moments at DSH thus far?

The EFS program to Sidi Ifni this past January/ February has been my

most memorable experience with Dar Si Hmad so far. I had heard about

Dar Si Hmad’s famous fog project for a really long time, but I never truly

understood how it worked or the impact it had on the surrounding community

until this trip. I loved getting to meet the exchange students that came with

us and to hear about all of their experiences in Morocco, passions and ideas.

It was also really great to see how interested and dedicated they were to

learning Arabic. When I came back from this trip, I couldn’t stop talking

about this project and telling people about it.

What are you hoping to achieve during your time here?

I hope to improve my English speaking, develop my teaching and practice

my public speaking skills during my time as a RISE session assistant.

I would also like to become more open, make new connections and network

with people that I can collaborate with in the future.