Ahsan Khan

Business and Marketing - BA (Hons) 

Ahsan spent two weeks volunteering in Marrakech, Morocco. His eye-opening experience proved an incredible opportunity, which has helped him win a prestigious internship – and has inspired him to return again.

A true learning experience

“This experience really opened my eyes, it is not until you actually go out there and see with your own eyes how hard it is for people out there and how lucky we are. I have learnt that education is something that is greatly needed in countries such as Morocco to help it develop; this is the same for any third-world country. I have also discovered that the gap between the rich and the poor is getting bigger and bigger, and it is our job to close this gap. That’s why I’m going back.”

A whole range of volunteering opportunities

“I chose Marrakech because it offered a wide range of opportunities. Every day you were given the option to volunteer at different projects from baby orphanages to working with young people who suffer from Down’s syndrome. Volunteering with Original Volunteers in Marrakech was a garden of opportunity and choice that opened my eyes to the issues of third world countries and fuelled my desire to make a change.”

Passing on employability skills

“I was able to use my experience of working in a sales environment and office environment to teach them employability skills that maybe one day will help them gain employment.”

Taking the initiative

“I promoted a campaign via Facebook and Twitter asking my friends and family for donations that would go towards purchasing toys for the kids … I was able to raise a significant amount of money and therefore was able to buy a great amount of toys and activity kits for the children.”

A valuable career move

“I think this experience played a fundamental role in helping to achieve the Marketing Internship at Renault Retail Group. With such tough competition, this experience made me stand out and was one of the key talking points during my recruitment process. It was something that was highlighted and asked about in great depth and was something that my manager was extremely impressed by.”

An inspirational trip

“Firstly, I believe the group of volunteers that I met and went on projects and excursions with where terrific, they made the experience even more amazing, I could not have hoped to have met a better bunch of inspiring individuals. Secondly, seeing the smile on the face of the young people and kids I was teaching and helping was the most humbling of experiences, and I strongly believe that my aim of leaving memories that can be used as stepping stones was achieved.”