We started off our morning by taking the bus to our group project site visit! First we visited ANDD, or L’Association Nationale du Développement Digital, a organization committed to strengthening the digital and entrepreneurial skills of women and young people. I could see the impact that ANDD had made immediately as I entered the building,…

Today we had our site visit outside of the Old Medina in Rabat. We visited the Rabat Technopark, where we had our discussion about social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is defined as the practice of building mission driven businesses to solve societal and environmental challenges. While traditional businesses measure success primarily through profit, social enterprises reinvests…

Farah’s discussion had a major influence on our entrepreneurship exercise, and I took away many valuable lessons from her story. One point that stood out to me most was her advice to always hold onto your ideas, even if the timing is not perfect. An idea may not work at one moment in life, but…

Today we visited the women’s cooperative, where I had the opportunity to hand make a leather sunglasses holder. The process was a lot of fun, although there were definitely moments when I thought I had messed it all up, especially when cutting the leather wrong and running out of thread. Thankfully, with plenty of help…

Photo outside the Kutubiyya Mosque These guy with their really cool instruments Really cool detailed ceiling!! So many bags WOW!! Aw, so cute! I choose these photos because they captured the beauty of Marrakesh, and also because they were some of the only photos got. Wish I had taken more photos of this beautiful city…

Today we travelled to Marrakesh, stopping for three site visits along the way. First, we visited the Technopark in Casablanca, and listened to a keynote speaker explain the Technoparks “Startup and Smart Tech”. I enjoyed seeing all of the office rooms and group spaces where these bright minds come up with the future ideas of…

We had the opportunity to learn about a women artisan cooperative and the growth of the startup ecosystem in Morocco. One of the most interesting parts of the day was hearing about the Anou cooperative and how it has completely changed the traditional relationship between artisans, buyers, and middlemen. Before this visit, I never really…

Living in the Medina with my host family has given me the opportunity to observe their daily lives and notice how politics, religion, and women’s equality are integrated into there ideologies and interactions. The first aspect I immediately noticed was the way they practiced the Islam religion, and what they believed in. My host family…

After spending the morning learning Arabic, and the afternoon in the souks bargaining, I would prefer to spend my time learning Arabic and practicing it in the markets and at home. Its not that I prefer it over bargaining, but that I find it more useful to perfect while in Morocco. In my mind, if…

Written by AI: Life in the Medina of Rabat moves at a rhythm that feels both historic and alive. Narrow alleyways wind between whitewashed buildings and colorful market stalls, where the scent of fresh bread, mint tea, spices, and leather drifts through the air. Shopkeepers greet neighbors by name while artisans carefully handcraft jewelry, rugs,…