New Rental Space

Renovations are underway at the new Sahara Partners’ office space.

Several weeks ago, Sahara Partners officially acquired a rental unit for our office which will also become the future home of our women’s training program. The location is fantastic. Centrally positioned at the heart of town, the rental building is on the main road leading to the market and includes a storefront, two large front rooms, a smaller back room, and a restroom. One of the front rooms will become a boutique selling secondhand children’s clothing and toys and will be operated by the interns of our women’s training program. The second front room will have multipurpose functionality as a meeting room and classroom. The smaller back room has been transformed into a staff office.

Almost immediately after renting the space, our staff began renovations. We have added curtains and a temporary wall in the meeting room/classroom to distinctly separate it from what will become the secondhand children’s clothing store. We also did patchwork, painted walls, installed updated lighting and electrical outlets, improved security on the entrance door, added a new water tank, purchased and assembled office equipment for the back room, and transformed the meeting room/classroom into a traditional Saharawi sala among other improvements. Although we don’t plan on launching the women’s training program until Spring 2022, these renovations will enable our staff to begin immediately using the building for staff meetings, language lessons, and office work.

The heart of what we do as a community development organization is, as always, relationship. We are looking forward to using our Sahara Partners office to work with community leaders and locals to learn more about the needs of this beautiful people and help empower them to better serve themselves and others.

Take a look below at the renovation process and the transformation of our rental space!