Description of the internship:
Territory/Location
The Arghen basin is located in the Souss Massa region of southern Morocco, in the province of Taroudant to be precise. It comprises 6 communes. It is about one hour’s drive from Taroudant, on the edge of the Oued Souss plain, which crosses the region from east to west, passing through Taroudant before emptying into the ocean near Agadir. Located in the Anti-Atlas mountain range, this basin is a fairly isolated area, and the people who live there are mostly in a precarious situation. All six communes and villages in the Arghen basin have one thing in common: a very strong rural exodus (only the commune of Arazane shows an increase in demographic growth, but this is due to the more attractive northern part of its territory). Many of the area’s inhabitants prefer to leave the difficult environment to seek employment in the country’s major cities or abroad. This is particularly true of young men
Context :
Experts-Solidaires supports decentralised cooperation projects between communes in the French department of Hérault and communes in the Arghen Valley in the province of Taroudant in Morocco. The main activities focus on access to and sustainable management of water resources. Since 2022, the association has also been supporting sustainable economic development projects. The aim of these projects is to support local associations, micro-entrepreneurs and women’s cooperatives in the development of income-generating activities linked to sustainable tourism and the promotion of traditional craft skills. Young Moroccans in the Arghen Valley are particularly targeted by this project. These projects are based on the preservation of the Amazigh natural and traditional cultural heritage, a major asset for the promotion of this region.
However, this heritage is subject to strong external pressures: degradation of the natural environment due to poor farming practices and increasingly serious droughts, degradation of the built heritage due to the desire to copy new urban architecture, disappearance of skills due to the exodus of young people.
Experts-Solidaires helps local people to describe, list and classify this heritage. Activities concerning natural heritage and know-how have already begun.
It is now a question of initiating actions concerning traditional built heritage
Your missions:
1. For 5 months, in Morocco, you will study the built heritage of the Arghen Valley:
- Through bibliographical research and interviews with Moroccan and international heritage preservation institutions, you will provide a historical and technical description of the built heritage of the Arghen Valley (traditional houses, but also collective sites and built structures).
- You will identify the risks and threats to this built heritage.
- You will work with local elected representatives and representatives of civil society on solutions to the issues identified in relation to these risks and threats (drawing up an architectural charter; improving traditional building techniques to adapt to changing needs)
2. For 1 month in France, you will participate in the drafting of a project proposal that responds to the issues identified concerning the preservation of this built heritage.
Qualities and skills needed:
Master student in architecture.
Motivation, Autonomy, Adaptability
Duration of the internship: 6 months, start date to discuss with the partner
Place: Taroudant, Morocco
Housing: Yes, to be discussed
Possiblity to have meals included: Yes, to be discussed
Sections: AR
Description of the partner:
Experts-Solidaires is a French NGO based in Montpellier. Since 2011, the organisation has been supporting community development projects in the fields of access to water and sanitation, sustainable agricultural development and food security, environmental protection and housing and urban planning. To achieve this, we mobilise a network of volunteers, all experts in one of our areas of expertise, who provide technical support for projects and help transfer skills to local partners.
Name: Experts Solidaires (https://experts-solidaires.org/)
Contact person: Mélanie RAMNUTH
Contact email: [email protected]