HUMANITARIAN AID
Also Worth Knowing
Founder of the rally Thierry Sabine was well aware of how difficult life was in Africa and the emergency to act, also knowing that the rally could be a precious tool. In his spirit, the vocation of the Paris Dakar was to be useful to the countries that would welcome it. The actions that were initiated as of 1985 have continued inspiring the organizers and then the rally competitors who also help out in different projects.
With the growth in prestige of the Dakar in the years 2000, it became obvious that ASO would become more ambitious concerning its aid to African countries. The priority being efficiency, they decided to link their efforts with professional humanitarian organisations. SOS Sahel, foundation involved since 1978, with a perfect knowledge of the problems in the field, was the most appropriate partner in order to direct the investments made to protect the environment.
Therefore in 2002 the program Actions Dakar was launched by ASO in partnership with SOS Sahel. The aim to protect the natural ressources, the improvement of the quality of life and especially hygiene, are the main goals of the program. The type of action chosen corresponds exactly to the vision of ASO, as the different actions are initiated and run by locals with a view to a lasting development.
The ideal of Actions Dakar is the development of local skills by putting these modest projects (between 2000 and 5000 € per scheme) into the hands of groups of people: "To teach how to fish rather than to give the fish". In the long term, the most precious goal is to respect the environment in the towns and villages concerned. Apart from the immediate improvement of the quality of life, the efficiency of Actions Dakar will be judged by its durability.
The first action was carried out in the area of Louga, in Senegal. The renewal of the partnership, signed in 2005 for three more years, plans to extend Actions Dakar into Mauritania where different projects requested by villages are already being studied.
ACTIONS DAKAR IN FIGURES
- 106 projects
- 271 000 people concerned
- 600 000 € financed at 75% by ASO
Awareness – environmental education
- 2 600 people instructed in the management of natural resources
- 53 000 children and adults made aware of correct environmental practices
Protection and recovery of forest and ground resources
- 2 480 refurbished hearths
- 1 023 acres of protected agricultural land
- 31 700 trees saved
- 129 000 trees planted
- 210 compost centers created
- 6 dunes fixed
Sanitary protection and water hygiene
- 90 latrines and 62 wells constructed
- 7 ponds installed
- 209 water reservoirs put into service
- 3 300 families benefit from trash collection
Contact: actionsdakar@sossahel.org
In 1986, an operation formed by several partners was built up in connection with the Dakar. At the same time as the rally advances, another caravan crosses Africa bringing help to the Sahel villages. At this time already existing associations join the rally and organize transportation of the equipment. In total the humanitarian caravan includes about fifteen vehicles and around thirty people.
The humanitarian caravan accompanied the rally during four years. During this time various partners contributed by supplying mainly agricultural machinery (rice decorticators, seeds, pumps…).
Later on the rally organizers had to face a cruel fact. Due to the lack of means and supplies, the follow up of the investments to help the village people was not always achieved. Because of the technical and financial difficulties, particularly relating to the running of the pumps, part of the material was badly used or even lost.
In the middle of the 90s the organizers decided to pursue more specific targets. A number of ambitious schemes were therefore concluded over a period of years in Niger, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal:
- 1991: Building of a maternity dispensary in Senegal in the village of Niaga Wolof near Lake Rose
- 1993: Building of a maternity dispensary in Niger in the village of Gazamni
- 1997: Building of a college in Mauritania in the town of Zouerat
- 1998: Building of a school in Mali in the village of Koudathiou
- 1999: Building of a water tower in Mauritania in the town of Akjouj. Partial street lighting in the town of Agadez (Niger)
From now on all new actions were substantially modified in order that the programs could be followed up. Thus, lighter but indispensable investments were regularly made for the servicing and running of equipment : training of mid wives, digging of wells…
After having travelled through the Sahel and determined the most urgent needs, it was in 1985 that Thierry Sabine with Daniel Balavoine founded the Bet of the Heart (Pari du Cœur), "the bet that one is part of to help others win". Thanks to the media coverage of the event and the natural sincerity of both ambassadors, the project rapidly gained public support due to the tragedies lived out by the Sahel population.
Water is life
The supply of water has always been the most essential problem, it is therefore with the installation of water pumps that the solidarity movement started. Knowing for example that an irrigation pump enables the development of 50 hectares of land (that is to say 500 tons of rice), the objective of becoming self sufficient food-wise became finally possible in the concerned areas. After Thierry Sabine’s death in 1986, his father, Gilbert, continued Thierry Sabine’s actions in Niger, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. Five years later, these results could already be shown:
- 147 water pumps installed
- 300 m3 of medicine and medical equipment distributed
- 40 m3 of books and school supplies
- 50 m3 of small agricultural machinery
- 7 vehicles
- 500 000 doses of vaccines
The Dakar competitors necessarily have an attraction for these countries and an obvious sensitivity to the terrible life conditions of their populations.
From the very beginning, several individual initiatives, even the smallest and often discreet were taken by competitors. The trucker carrying trunks of clothing or school stationery has never had the intention of saving Africa, but the certainty that his gesture will be helpful to a family or a village school.
For a long time, the actions led by the competitors have been guided by these steps. Then, little by little, projects have started structuring themselves implying more and more European partners. Today for a majority of competitors, the preparation of the rally takes into account the setting-up of a humanitarian or teaching action.
Some projects grow to a considerable scale, like for example the one set up by the Repsol team (Mitsubishi, KTM – Espagne), that allowed to organise the provisioning in medical supplies for a year of several hospitals on the rally course. Dutchman Frits Hessing collected 150 000 € to help with the treatment of pregnant women in order to reduce the risk of transmitting the AIDS virus to their children. Whether their name is Yannick Guyomarch, a fireman from Paris and coordinator of a project to supply Moroccan schools in stationery and various computer material, or José Manuel Salinero who gave out toys to over 800 orphans between Nouakchott and Dakar, all are well aware that the Dakar isn’t only a race.