This a story told in the first person of two Portuguese young men who travelled to Erg Chebbi for miles during several days in a Renault 4L, with the purpose of donating school materials to those who need it the most.

 

“We are scouts, we are used to living adventures that stimulate us and test our limits. But this time it was different: Two students, a Renault 4L, more than 120kg of school supplies to donate, a roadbook and a compass. Everyone called us “crazy of our mind” when we said that we would go to Morocco, to do a solidarity raid. We took care hard of this ambition, recruiting supports and the dream started to get alive because of our determination and work.

 

We went from Lisbon to Marrakech and we came back, safe and sound, without the torture of mechanic issues, with an empty trunk from all the school supplies we gave, but a backpack full of smiles and hugs, as well as the sense of mission, accomplished… for now.

 

It was ten days driving by unusual trails and retaining in the memory the best we lived on that land, with those people. It’s still hard to talk about this adventure, for so many contradictory emotions we lived and personal achievements we reached. But today we still feel it sounds too good to be true.

 

Step by step we learned new things every day, but above all to pay attention to all the mechanical details that the desert confronted us with and to retain a look focused on the reality that was lived there.

 
Two students and a Renault 4L.

 

Image 1 – Two students and a Renault 4L.

 

We completed 3553 km where we saw luxury, organized lands, beautiful landscapes, snow, sea, a desert to lose sight of, smiles, lots of smiles, but we were also confronted with sadness, poverty, affective and social lack, a mix of emotions with which we had to know how to handle to complete our journey and our purpose in a constructive way.

 

In one of the days, on the end of a stage, when we arrived at the camp, an institution of children and young people were waiting for us, and the major part of the school supplies was distributed. The satisfaction of those children touched us deeply, as we believed would touch anyone who would put themselves to the test and risk of making this trip for the benefit of others.

 

From the moment that we knew that if it wasn’t the donation of UniRaid, the school year for those children and young ones wouldn’t be assured, we say for sure that the mission is not fulfilled because the desire of coming back remains in us. There is still a lot to do in the world, a lot to give to others and a lot to learn to be a better person. See you in the next year!”

 

Two students and a Renault 4L.

 

Image 2 – Two students and a Renault 4L.