The first question I get when I mention going to Morocco is “what will you be doing there” – and today I finally found out. #ibmcsc

“Tangier’s strategic position has made it one of the most coveted cities in the world and Tangier’s Medina (the old city) is rich, diverse and an incredible testimony to the city’s cosmopolitism and cultural prosperity. Unfortunately, the Medina’s infrastructure is old and has suffered from overdevelopment. Rising housing costs have led many community members with deep roots in the Medina to relocate. The Foundation Tanger Al Madina (FTAM) believes that it is a duty to save and preserve Tangier’s historical nucleus of culture and history.

pictures of medina (old city)

 FTAM’s creation was driven by the desire and will to restore the Medina to its former influence. During its inception in 1998, its first activity was increasing awareness door-to-door about the Medina’s importance and heritage. At this time FTAM was also able to assess as the extent of poverty, literacy, delinquency, and drugs. As a result, FTAM learned that it is critical to have full support from the residents of the Medina if they are to succeed in their mission. The assessment led FTAM to focus its mission on:

• Safeguarding, rehabilitating, and enhancing the Medina’s historical and cultural inheritance
• Cleaning and adorning the Medina
• Establishing education and cultural centers

FTAM serves a critical and important role in Tangier by safeguarding the Medina as a precious historical and cultural site. Furthermore, FTAM supports activities that improve the livelihoods of the community and offers opportunities for economic growth. FTAM is in need of a strategic action plan for 2013-2016 that will help identify ways to maintain efficiency and sustainability. The assignment will focus on conducting an overall assessment of the organization’s needs, resources, potential partners, clients, and potential revenue streams. The team will also assist the organization’s board in defining their mission, vision, objectives, and program offerings. Lastly, the team will look at how the FTAM can launch a more effective online presence to attract more members and funders.”

I am thrilled – I was hoping for some development and community work – and the fact it is strategy is a great fit for me. There are a lot of women, poverty and education issues as part of this project so I am ready to roll up my sleeves and go !

There are 3 of us on this project – Lavinia from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Ryosuke from Osaka, Japan. Lavinia speaks French which will be VERY helpful because when I started doing some research, all search results showed up in French. So, this will be challenging as I speak zero French 🙂

Does anyone know of any organizations in other countries/cities that do something similar that I could start researching for best practices?