Run the Sahara
Unforgettable mentally and physically. I would recommend this journey to anyone as it changes your point of view.
Tomasz Laczny, Saharamarathon participant
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RACE IN 2022 WILL NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO ONGOING PANDEMIC SITUATION!
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Run the Sahara is Sandblast’s annual fundraising and awareness-raising event. It promotes the Sahara Marathon, an inspiring international running event taking place every February in the Saharawi refugee camps in SW Algeria. You can run (or walk!) a full marathon, a half marathon, 10K or 5K. As the official UK coordinator, Sandblast’s takes the headache out of organising the week-long trip to the Sahara. Along with providing logistical support, we organise a special cultural/ educational programme to enrich your experience during your stay. In return, we ask you to help raise funds for our camp-based projects. Since 2009, close to 100 people have run for Sandblast and helped raised over £80,000. |
All participants whosign up for the Saharamarathon and run on behalf of Sandblast, play a vital role in raising funds for our early learning Desert Voicebox project in the camps.
Due to the impact of the COVID pandemic, for the time being it will not be possible to participate in the race 2022 as usual, in February, but we hope once the situation has changed that the race will be revived.
Meanwhile, to replace Run the Sahara, which was one of Sandblast major fundraising activities for Desert Voicebox, we hope many of you will consider taking on a challenge next Feb 2022 and join the Desert Voicebox Virtual Challenge to help us raise money for our project in the camps. In Feb of 2021, participants took on a range of amazing challenges to raise money such as writing an album in 24 hours, learning basic Hassaniya in the month of February, dancing tango blind-folded and more.
DESERT VOICEBOX
Currently the programme offers music and English classes to children in one primary school in the smallest camp of Boujdour. Two hours and half classes are given every day, after school, using the innovative Stave House teaching method based on story-telling and hands-on activities, to engage the children and develop their potential. These kinds of creative learning opportunities do not exist in the camps.
Since the project began, in 2016, we have seen real progress in the children’s music and language skills and a demand for the project to expand. As children in the camps have lots of free time and not many activities to fill that time, the community and local authorities are keen to see this project grow and succeed. Since 2017 children have been getting certification from London College of Music for passing their level 1 and 2 Stave House exams.
So far more than 70 children have participated in the programme. There are currently 4 teachers, two for English and two for music. All have been trained by Dr Violeta Ruano (project manager) and by qualified volunteers who have supported the project on the ground since 2016 staying for 2 weeks up to 2 months. The aim is for the teachers to be trained to the highest standards and to be fully able to run the programme on their own and received internationally recognized certification for their training. A new local musician who is a multi-instrumentalist and an expert in Saharawi music was incorporated to teach children Saharawi music and traditional instruments in the Autumn of 2019.
Thanks to our Friends of Desert Voicebox scheme we have been able to source fantastic volunteers to provide training and teaching in English and also to deliver 3 international music workshops since Oct 2018. The first one took place in February 2019, led by Andrada and Florin Pascu from AB Music Academy, in London. The second one took place in April 2019, by Maite Heres from 440hz Performing Arts Centre, Gijon Spain. The third one in Jan/Feb of 2020 , was led by Georgia Lomax Thorpe, a recent MA graduate from University of West London in Popular performance, who ran a month long workshop in singing. These internationally led special workshops have hugely helped to enrich the experiences and learning of everyone involved! The idea is for this to become a regular feature of the yearly programme.
We also aim to develop a summer programmes both in the camps for the kids to participate in weekly fun activities that reinforce their English language skills and develop their creativity. In the future, we hope to be able to organise month-long music and English language camps, in the UK or elsewhere, for a small group of Desert Voicebox graduates and one of the teachers.
Developments and future plans
In the summer of 2019 we built a new learning centre to house Desert Voicebox. The project expanded from being taught in one large classroom to a purpose-built centre with 4 rooms for teaching and we delivered 4 special international workshops in that year and into the start of 2020 before the pandemic hit.
Given the impact of the pandemic, though, we have unfortunately not been able to deliver regular international special workshops since for the children nor have we been able to train the local teachers on site. However, we have continued training remotely by WhatsApp, which although not ideal is better than nothing thanks to a team of fabulous volunteers who have tirelessly dedicated themselves throughout this year.
In 2022, we hope to be able to:
1. engage our DVB students in 2 pen pal links, one with a primary school in Wales and the other in Nigeria and even South Africa.
2. get our local teachers trained up and ready to teach levels 4 in English and Music and have 80 students across all 4 levels enrolled for the term starting in Sept 2022
3. prepare our local English teachers to get their B2 certificate in English by the end of 2022.
4. Build on our regular programme of Saharawi music lessons to develop a DVB choir with a repertoire of Saharawi and English songs and able to perform traditional dances.
5. Install solar panels to power the DVB learning centre so that the programme is not interrupted by regular power cuts in Boujdour camp
All these plans and growth inevitably means we will require more teaching and learning resources and instruments and also the support of volunteers to continue to contribute to training and teaching. By joining Desert Voicebox Virtual Challenge and fundraising for us through sponsorship pledges, you will make a huge difference to the success of our efforts and mission.
Due to the impact of the COVID pandemic, for the time being it will not be possible to participate in the race 2022 as usual, in February, but we hope once the situation has changed that the race will be revived.
Meanwhile, to replace Run the Sahara, which was one of Sandblast major fundraising activities for Desert Voicebox, we hope many of you will consider taking on a challenge next Feb 2022 and join the Desert Voicebox Virtual Challenge to help us raise money for our project in the camps. In Feb of 2021, participants took on a range of amazing challenges to raise money such as writing an album in 24 hours, learning basic Hassaniya in the month of February, dancing tango blind-folded and more.
DESERT VOICEBOX
Currently the programme offers music and English classes to children in one primary school in the smallest camp of Boujdour. Two hours and half classes are given every day, after school, using the innovative Stave House teaching method based on story-telling and hands-on activities, to engage the children and develop their potential. These kinds of creative learning opportunities do not exist in the camps.
Since the project began, in 2016, we have seen real progress in the children’s music and language skills and a demand for the project to expand. As children in the camps have lots of free time and not many activities to fill that time, the community and local authorities are keen to see this project grow and succeed. Since 2017 children have been getting certification from London College of Music for passing their level 1 and 2 Stave House exams.
So far more than 70 children have participated in the programme. There are currently 4 teachers, two for English and two for music. All have been trained by Dr Violeta Ruano (project manager) and by qualified volunteers who have supported the project on the ground since 2016 staying for 2 weeks up to 2 months. The aim is for the teachers to be trained to the highest standards and to be fully able to run the programme on their own and received internationally recognized certification for their training. A new local musician who is a multi-instrumentalist and an expert in Saharawi music was incorporated to teach children Saharawi music and traditional instruments in the Autumn of 2019.
Thanks to our Friends of Desert Voicebox scheme we have been able to source fantastic volunteers to provide training and teaching in English and also to deliver 3 international music workshops since Oct 2018. The first one took place in February 2019, led by Andrada and Florin Pascu from AB Music Academy, in London. The second one took place in April 2019, by Maite Heres from 440hz Performing Arts Centre, Gijon Spain. The third one in Jan/Feb of 2020 , was led by Georgia Lomax Thorpe, a recent MA graduate from University of West London in Popular performance, who ran a month long workshop in singing. These internationally led special workshops have hugely helped to enrich the experiences and learning of everyone involved! The idea is for this to become a regular feature of the yearly programme.
We also aim to develop a summer programmes both in the camps for the kids to participate in weekly fun activities that reinforce their English language skills and develop their creativity. In the future, we hope to be able to organise month-long music and English language camps, in the UK or elsewhere, for a small group of Desert Voicebox graduates and one of the teachers.
Developments and future plans
In the summer of 2019 we built a new learning centre to house Desert Voicebox. The project expanded from being taught in one large classroom to a purpose-built centre with 4 rooms for teaching and we delivered 4 special international workshops in that year and into the start of 2020 before the pandemic hit.
Given the impact of the pandemic, though, we have unfortunately not been able to deliver regular international special workshops since for the children nor have we been able to train the local teachers on site. However, we have continued training remotely by WhatsApp, which although not ideal is better than nothing thanks to a team of fabulous volunteers who have tirelessly dedicated themselves throughout this year.
In 2022, we hope to be able to:
1. engage our DVB students in 2 pen pal links, one with a primary school in Wales and the other in Nigeria and even South Africa.
2. get our local teachers trained up and ready to teach levels 4 in English and Music and have 80 students across all 4 levels enrolled for the term starting in Sept 2022
3. prepare our local English teachers to get their B2 certificate in English by the end of 2022.
4. Build on our regular programme of Saharawi music lessons to develop a DVB choir with a repertoire of Saharawi and English songs and able to perform traditional dances.
5. Install solar panels to power the DVB learning centre so that the programme is not interrupted by regular power cuts in Boujdour camp
All these plans and growth inevitably means we will require more teaching and learning resources and instruments and also the support of volunteers to continue to contribute to training and teaching. By joining Desert Voicebox Virtual Challenge and fundraising for us through sponsorship pledges, you will make a huge difference to the success of our efforts and mission.
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