Rethinking international volunteer management : Producing a volunteers' guidebook for a Moroccan NGO Maison de Santé Albalsam

Tilja Kontio Rethinking international volunteer management – Producing a volunteers’ guidebook for a Moroccan NGO Maison de Santé Albalsam 38 pages, 3 appendices November 2018 Diaconia University of Applied Sciences Bachelor of Social Services Degree programme in Social Services The purpose of this thesis is to produce a comprehensive guidebook for the future international volunteers of a Moroccan non-governmental organization, Maison de Santé Albalsam (MSA), that offers social counseling, health education and workshops for the local community in the city of Salé, north-western Morocco. This guidebook complements the orientation provided by the organization and will be sent to each new international volunteer by e-mail prior to their arrival. The guidebook is a product that MSA had been planning for a long time. They have faced a variety of challenges with their international volunteers and interns. Therefore, they consider it essential to have the guidelines, policies, and procedures written down in the form of a guidebook, to avoid confusion and conflicts. Most of the problems between the international volunteers and the organization have originated from insufficient orientation and poorly communicated policies. This guidebook is produced to benefit both the volunteers and the organization. In addition, Maison de Santé Albalsam is seeking to attract more international volunteers from diverse backgrounds. This guidebook will be used for promotional purposes as well since it includes clear descriptions about the organization and the volunteer program. The production of the guidebook lasted three months, from March 2018 to June 2018. Background information, feedback, and suggestions were collected by interviewing the staff and sending a survey to all of the past international volunteers. Based on the information gathered, the main challenges and developmental needs in the volunteer program were identified, and these served as the key focus points for writing the guidebook. The end result is a 20-page book with the information written in both English and French. It includes information about the organization, volunteer program, accommodation, cultural etiquette, safety, rules, traveling in Morocco, the town Salé, the neighborhood El Oued, frequently asked questions, and English-Moroccan Arabic wordlist. The aim was achieved, and the guide-book is expected to serve its purpose and complement the orientation and management of MSA’s international volunteers in the future