In this fifteenth edition the Sahara Marathon has been dedicated to children’s rights, and for this reason all our resources, as assets and projects, were directed entirely to them.
The children representing the various wilaya have been hosted in Smara, to participate in the Olympic Games, and we prepared over 1200 prize packages, with school and drawing material, colors, a little toy, a shirt and a cap. And for the first time we organized a Children’s Race in every single refugee camp.
In addition to this the SaharaMarathon distributed a direct economic aid to the more than 150 Saharawi families who have hosted this year the participants, in addition to what is already owed for accommodation and subsistence of the participants.
All this is very nice, but this year like never before our contribution almost disappears when compared to the contribution given by the SaharaMarathon Associated Projects, projects born from people who got involved with the Saharawi through the SaharaMarathon, and have decided to return the following year to run, but also to run a project of their own.
The SaharaMarathon, or better, its participants, has been able to move a social network of incredible size, carrying on an huge number of independent projects.
This list is certainly not complete, we probably have forgot some projects, and of some maybe we are even unaware, but in any case, please email us, because we will be happy to extend it:
– Donations through the crowfunding site BetterNow yielded more than 8000 € to help schools.
– Jorge Matauco has donated € 900 of copyrights of his latest book on the Sahara Marathon.
– Participants from Norway have donated € 400
– A Galician Club donated school supplies.
– General Optica donated thousands of prescription glasses.
– A Basque Association raised funds for the purchase of medicines.
– An Andalusian Association has collected food for the next caravan.
– An italian brought, as donation, hearing aids for deafness for a value of € 80,000, and mounted them during the week at the Bolla hospital .
– The association Beyond the wall has funded with € 5,500 a taxi center for public transport.
– The association RunForLife funded with € 3,000 the Sahrawi Association of Victims Of Mine ASAVIM
– The association ElOuali continued its project of goats purchase for poor families, with 1200 €
– The association ElOuali continues the project of the pottery workshop, producing medals SaharaMarathon and pendants to use as gift for solidarity Easter eggs produced in Italy.
– The Marathon of the Doges, in Italy, bought 2500 medals from the center of ceramic in ElAyoun
– Sergio, a participant of the past editions, and boxe practioner, returned to the camps several times during the year to continue the Boxe courses for young Saharawis, and this year has collected € 5,000 to build a gym with a boxing ring.
– The association PeaceGames, that has been working many years with the Saharawi to develop the sport in schools, sent two members to organize the Olympics of children, in addition to the equipment required.
– The SaharaMarathon itself has funded projects in the ceramic workshop of ElAyoun buying them medals for the race, and the textile workshop of Smara, by buying the turbants given as prize.
Mattia Durli
