UK Charity Opens Registration for Solidarity Race the Sahara Marathon 2024 in Aid of Saharawi Refugees in the Algerian Sahara

London, United Kingdom, August 15, 2023 --(PR.com)-- After a 3-year hiatus, the London-based Sandblast charity is thrilled to announce the relaunching of its annual fundraiser sporting event in the Saharawi refugee camps in South-West Algeria, open to a limited number of participants. Runners will help to raise £20,000 in support of the charity's pioneering early educational Desert Voicebox project and be hosted by a refugee family during their week stay. The Sahara Marathon is organised by the Saharawi refugee authorities with the support of friends and volunteers globally. Sandblast, the official UK partner since 2009, will pay all the costs of the trip for anyone raising £3000.

Participants who register by the December 15 deadline can choose to run or walk in either the 5km, 10km, half-marathon, or the full marathon. An info day is planned for the last weekend of September in London for interested runners to meet former participants and members of the UK Saharawi community.

Sandblast founder, Danielle Smith, involved with the long-term Saharawi refugee community since 1991, asserts: "The Sahrawis are some of the most invisible, forgotten, and ignored refugees out there. It is heart-breaking that after five decades, their plight remains unresolved, meaning a third generation must grow up in harsh desert camp conditions with few prospects. The Sahara Marathon is a vital event for the Sahrawis to build solidarity internationally. The event not only offers an amazing chance for runners to learn about the unique desert culture of the former nomads but also allows them to contribute in a real way to improving the lives of the refugee children and women through our Desert Voicebox project.”

The Desert Voicebox project currently hosts over 60 students, but greater local demand is prompting the need for an expansion of facilities. The £20k raised will comfortably 1. build a new equipped space for teaching, and 2. organise a 2-week pedagogical training programme in Algiers for four teachers in Summer 2024.

There are 173,600 Saharawi refugees situated in 5 camps in Algeria (UNHCR). Originating from Western Sahara, the refugees have sought independence since 1973 under the leadership of the Polisario Front. Displaced due to conflict in 1975, they have been unable to exercise their right to self-determination through a referendum. Today, 38% of the refugees are under 17, with a third generation growing up in exile, longing to see their homeland. Despite their situation, they remain largely forgotten by the world with limited opportunities for development. For more detailed information, visit our website.