AMIDEAST - Education Abroad in Morocco

The program is managed by AMIDEAST/Morocco in conjunction with AMIDEAST headquarters in Washington, D.C.

AMIDEAST works collaboratively with Mohammed V University-Agdal to oversee the academic curriculum and implementation of the program. It also manages all logistical elements of the program, including the on-site orientation, host family placement and supervision, arrangements for optional travel excursions, and the planning of special events and extra-curricular activities. Finally, AMIDEAST provides comprehensive support to both participants and administrators in the event of any problems or unusual circumstances.

Program Manager - Doha Ait Ahmed

Doha Ait Ahmed serves as Program Manager for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Rabat.  A Moroccan citizen, Doha grew up in Agadir in southern Morocco and has lived in Rabat for the past eight years.  After graduating in 2000 from Ibnou Zouhr University in Agadir with a bachelor’s degree in English, she taught English and classical Arabic at two schools in Agadir before moving to Rabat to work with the U.S. Peace Corps.  While working with the Peace Corps from 2001 until 2008, Doha was a Moroccan Arabic and Tashelhit (an Amazigh dialect) teacher, cross-cultural trainer and home stay coordinator.  She also worked each summer with a youth development training center in Fez.  Doha joined AMIDEAST in June 2008 as a group leader for American high school students from Seattle in Morocco for an intercultural experience.  She began teaching Moroccan Arabic in the fall 2008 semester, facilitated cross-cultural training sessions and organized academic program excursions.  In the summer of 2009 she taught both Moroccan Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic as part of the AMIDEAST Summer Intensive Arabic Program in Rabat.  In the fall semester 2009 she became Program Manager.

Program Specialist - Rachid Slimany 

Rachid Slimany is a Program Specialist and home stay manager for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Morocco. Rachid was born in Essaoiura and spent much of his youth as a member and a trainer of the wind/kite surfing team of the city. In 2006, he graduated from Ibn Zohr University in Agadir with a degree in Spanish studies.

Rachid joined AMIDEAST in 2006 as a Program Assistant and began to oversee the host family aspect of AMIDEAST programs. Rachid works with incoming students to match them with a complementary local family and then continues to manage host family-student relationships over the course of each program.
In addition to his work with host families, Rachid also assists with other aspects of the Education Abroad program in Rabat including managing Moodle (an online resource for courses) and facilitating some aspects of orientation.Rachid maintains strong links with many national and international organizations in Rabat, which helps him in his role managing volunteer placements for the Community Based Learning course. Finally, in addition to his work on regular Education Abroad Programs, Rachid also works with short-term customized programs, overseeing their host family experiences and providing logistical support during their time in Morocco.
 

What is AMIDEAST?

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) was founded in 1951.  It has field offices in 23 cities in 145 countries in the region, giving it a well-developed infrastructure, capacity, and institutional record of successful exchange programs rooted in more than five decades of in-region experience administering scholarships and exchanges on behalf of U.S. and Arab governments, private companies, and individuals.

AMIDEAST in Morocco beyond Education Abroad

Since 1979, AMIDEAST has been providing quality educational services in Morocco. With offices in Rabat and Casablanca, AMIDEAST reaches thousands of students and professionals annually through English and Arabic language courses, academic advising, standardized testing, and cultural exchange programs. AMIDEAST/Morocco has designed and administered numerous programs for youth, undergraduates, and educators, and has arranged homestays, transportation, excursions, community service, language training, professional meetings, and lectures for groups of American students.