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I can't believe we are onlyl 16 days from departure! Where has August and September gone?
Today I recieved a notification of a group Conference Call for next week with the CCS Program Manager and the other volunteers arriving on the same day. This is new... they did not do this when I went to Peru and I have say it's a great idea!

I also recieved word of my placement...my job while I'm in Morocco. Drum roll please...... My placement is: Lala Maryem Center for Abandoned Children
A little details about the site: This orphanage has over 250 orphans or abandoned children, of that approximatley 25 have physical/mental challenges. The orphanage was founded in 1914 by a French man and they only get about 2% of their funding from the goverment.

What will I be doing:
*Assisting the nurses with daily routines such as feeding, dressing and changing the children.
*Assisting the nurses with the patients with physical and mental challenges.
*Providing individual attention and eye contact and loving words (in any language) with the children.
*Being a role model -- Encourage and praise the children while enforcing good behavior.
*Providing recreation -- taking the children/patients for fresh air in the garden.
*Provide physical therapy and activities for those with physical and mental challenges.

They say in the placement paperwork that working with the babies can be tiring and emotionally draining since the babies are starved for individual attention. They also say the nurses only speak Arabic and/or French.

With all I just stated, I think this will be a very hard placement for me...emotionally challenging for sure but I think also rewarding. I am so looking forward to this adventure and to getting to the Orphanage and working with the babies, children and young adults.

Stay tuned...I'm sure there is an adventure to come!

B’salaama,
Christie

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