Less than 3 weeks to go!

In less than 3 weeks time I will be exchanging our mediocre British summer for the scorching heat of the desert as I head to southern Morocco to start my 3 month long placement with Engineers Without Borders.

I've started this blog so that I can let everyone know what I'm up to as its likely I will only have internet access once a week on market day when we can hitch a ride to the nearest town. Otherwise we're going to be pretty cut off from the world, living and working in the small Berber village of Imi N'Tizghte about 150km south of Agadir.

Our first challenge upon arriving will be learning how to pronounce the name of the village! We (myself and Stacey - another EWB volunteer) will be working with a local NGO called AIDECO to 'increase the agricultural capacity of the region.' We will be looking at ways to improve the irrigation system of the village and to increase the crop yield, making the village more self-sufficient and creating employment opportunities so that the younger population do not have to move to cities in the north as is currently the case. The ultimate aim of the placement is to create a program of works that can be used as a template for 7 or 8 other villages in the region.

So, I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures and I'll try not to waffle on too much. :-)