Have you ever thought about volunteering and would like to be a volunteer at the High Atlas Foundation? If yes, you may wonder who you will reach.

My name is Sanae Benaadim, and I am HAF’s Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. My job is to recruit new volunteers and promote volunteer opportunities so they can convey HAF’s purpose to the public.

I still remember my first day at HAF as a volunteer. I went with a team of the Women’s Empowerment Program to Setti Fadma commune in Al Haouz province in April 2019. We spent four magical days with the women of the area. It was about self-discovery travel. Those three months of volunteering inspired me to become one of the staff members at HAF and to start my journey as a Volunteer Coordinator. It required me to be well-organized and flexible to manage volunteers and interns from Morocco and abroad. It was a real pleasure to meet every single volunteer and discover their abilities. Every time I meet a volunteer, I know more about their volunteering potential and how they would like to help Moroccan communities in need through participating and actively engaging in HAF’s projects.

Sanae Benaadim, HAF Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator.

When it comes to volunteering, there is a process that every single volunteer has to go through before committing with HAF. First, the volunteer has to reach out to me and send me their resume. Second, they have to sit for an interview and answer a few questions related to their educational background, skills, and experiences. Third, I look specifically for a suitable supervisor according to the interview summary with that volunteer. Last but not least, I introduce volunteers to their supervisors, so they can start their volunteering experience at HAF. During that time, I make sure to follow up on their progress so that they can work efficiently on their weekly assignments.

The efforts of volunteers create an amazing wind in the HAF sail. The research, writing, observations, communications, and documentation that are achieved by volunteers helps HAF’s community programs in agriculture, cultural preservation, women’s and youth empowerment, and capacity-building in technical and managerial areas. All volunteers are welcome because all can find their place of service, the community needs are varied and so are the skills we need, and there is urgency since people’s daily struggles are so serious.

I strongly believe being a volunteer coordinator for a Moroccan association and U.S. non-profit is a huge responsibility that entails building a volunteer youth’s abilities and helping them to create a broader vision for their future endeavors.