SaharaMarathon

Sporting needs in the Saharawi refugee camps
Sport as a principle, objective and educational tool

During these years of exile the Saharawi people has been forced to live, its sporting development path evolved through different stages, which were characterized by improvement and crisis, caused by sociological and political changes.

Is well known that the condition of refugee consists of a permanent state of waiting, inactivity and therefore, routine. Sporting centers are a way to trigger imagination, creativity and entertainment, that are basic needs of human beings, especially of the ones who lives in such harsh conditions.

The saharawi national sport committee was born in 1982, with the aim of creating a sport environment in the camps and of breaking the routine.
The ministry of culture and sport is ithe only representative that manages the sporting events in the camps.

Its tasks are the following:
- create and present the sport program in the refugee camps
- plan and manage events and competitions, contributing to promote a sport identity
following the young sport promises, contributing to their school education
- promote the participation of the saharawi women

Sport is a way to strenghten ties between peoples, and knowing the difficulties and limits of this field in the refugee camps, the ministry of culture and sports decided to focus on an major improvement of the sports development.
One of the main tasks at the moment is the promotion of the cooperation to create the basis of a Saharawi sports center, that will represent a message of peace and solidarity for all the people of the world, despite the political controversies.

Aims and expectations
- The ministry of culture and sports believes in the importance of saharawi athletes able to represent their country on an iternational level, for this reason it is necessary an improvement of cooperation and aids focused on the creation of a sports center, to handle current difficulties.
- promote the development of sport, culture and solidarity events as a mean of communication among people
- promote the sport development of saharawi people
- promote the saharawi sport and culture internationally

Other relevant point
The creation of a project to promote sport and solidarity in Western Sahara means to establish a human relationship with the saharawi people. People who underwent 27 years of exile and who had to fight for their independence despite strong difficulties in phisical and material conditions.
Nowadays the majority of saharawi people live in the refugee camps of Tindouf (Algeria), in one of he most hostile desert of the world. However, although the hard climate and low resources, It managed to create a real State, ruled by its set of institutions, thanks to a strong will, solidarity and cooperation on international level.
Despite the consequences derived by 27 years of exile, the saharawi people never forgot its cultural identity, maintaining the most typical traditions year after year, aware of the importance of cultural and sports events and of the need to safeguard and improve the development and creation of new proposals.

Project for year 2009 - Sport and Recreation Center for the children of Dhakla

We managed to raise from enrollment fees a total amount of 51170€, of which:
-10000€ have been handed over by SaharaMarathon to Polisario for accomodation and transport costs
-10469€ for the 2009 project
-4060€ to reward saharawi people working with us during the event (cookers, drivers, doctors, assistants at the water points, etc.)
-18291€have been used at the camps to handle material costs of the SaharaMarathon and for the host families
-1500€ to buy the power generator for the school
-2250€ have been handed over to the director of the School of Women in Dhakla for the production of turbants
-2400€ have been handed over to the laboratory for the production of medals (600 medals)
-2200€ have been handed over for the completion contruction of the school of sport

Project for year 2008 - Building of a school of sport

The SaharaMarathon 2008 ended succesfully with a series of records in the history of SaharaMarathon:
- highest number of foreign participants: over 350
- highest number of total participants, including foreigners and saharawis: 550
- highest number of participant countries: 21
- record of the marathon: 2h 43m

Thanks to this great participation, we managed to raise from enrollment fees a total amount of 54,016 €, of which:
- 18,000 € have been handed over by SaharaMarathon to Polisario for accomodation and transport costs
- 7,600 € have been handed over by SaharaMarathon to the host families
- 6,466 € have been used at the camps to handle material costs of the SaharaMarathon and reward saharawi people working with us during the event (cookers, drivers, doctors, assistants at the water points, etc.)
- 18,200 € have been handed over to the Ministry of Sport to build the school of sport
- 1,750 € have been handed over to the director of the School of Women in Dhakla
- 2,000 € have been handed over to the laboratory for the production of medals (550 medals)

The total amount of 54,016 € includes donations made through PayPal on our Web site.

The Spanish Red de Cooperacion y Deporte added to the 18,200 € amount for the school of sport another 12, 000 € to build the sporting facilities for the school

The school:

First pictures of the school construction:

- 3 AULAS PARA ESTUDIAR
- 1 SALON DE REUNIONES Y CONFERENCIAS
- 1 ALMACEN
- 1 DESPACHO DEL RESPONSABLE DE LA ESCUELA Y GUARDIA
- LA DUCHA
- LOS BAÑOS
- Y EN EL CENTRO UN PEQUEÑO JARDIN

New techniques to produce the medals:

Project for year 2007 - Completion of the sports centre and building of a workshop for recycled materials.

Click here too see all the medals produced at the camps untl now!

This year the SaharaMarathon medals will by produced at the camps by Saharawi artisans, with recycled material.
We'll be able then to invest at the camps the part of the registration fee money that we used in the past to produce the medals in Europe, paying the artisans and starting a small workshop.
Some race organizers have already shown their interest in buying, for their races, the medals produced by Saharawis at the camps. If you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us!
By using for your races the medals produced at the camps, you can actually show your solidarity and allow the saharawi people to start a small job and provide a little income to their family. In the picture: last year medal and the first attempts of the new medals.

In the picture: last year medal and the first tests of the new medals.

Project for year 2006 - Building of a Sports center

Resources needed

Football: Balls, sport clothes, shoes, socks, whistles, nets

Athletics: sporting clothes for women (athletic long trousers and long sleeves tshirts), shoes, chronometers, javelins, weights, disks, witness, high jump structure

Volleyball: sporting clothes for women (athletic long trousers and long sleeves tshirts) and for men, balls, whistles, nets, shoes

Judo: sporting clothes for women (athletic long trousers and long sleeves tshirts) and for men, soft floor covers

Basketball: balls, sport clothes, shoes, baskets, nets.

Ping pong: nets, rakets, balls, tables.

Otro material de interés:
Chess
Dama
Domino
Football table
Throphies

Light material:
100W and 500W lightbulbs and any kind of lighting for indoor play

The collection of the resources for the sports center will go through the following channels:
- purchase with funds collected through the SaharaMarathon registration fee
- donations of material by individuals or institutions
- sponsorship

As far as donations are concerned we accept second hand material in good conditions, except for clothes that should be new.