Convoy 2013

CONVOY 2013

The Convoy  will be a group of around 20 vehicles, primarily Land Rovers, leaving the UK in May 2013. Driving down through Spain and into Algeria where we will journey  deep into the Sahara to deliver the vehicles and our cargo of aid. We will meet with the Saharawi people and stay for a few days as their guests. We will then leave everything behind and fly back to the UK. The trip will take two weeks though we plan to offer a three week alternative for those with more time to spare.
The convoy will be made up of self funded individual units of vehicles and crew.
There are four main reasons for taking these convoys and they are:

TRANSPORT
Everything needs to be moved about and vehicles tend to have a short life due to the harsh conditions and lack of spare parts, The vehicles can be nearing the end of their life in the UK and with no Mot requirements, when there it matters little if they are old or new as both will only have a short life. With the complexity of modern vehicles older ones fare better if they are from the pre computer age as they can be repaired more easily. Land Rovers are good as they can be stripped for spare parts to keep others in working order when they are beyond repair.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Land Mine Hospital, Schools, Family Gardens, IT and Communications, Vehicle Workshops, Arts and Cultural exchange, Community Gardens and other projects all require specific vehicles, cargo and inputs.

CARGO
Cargo is specific to each team's special project and ranges from seeds and tools right through to equipment for schools, hospitals, garages and classrooms. It can be project specific or more general in its nature like food, clothing  and medical items.

WORLD AWARENESS

Few people have heard of the plight of the Saharawi people and the convoy will get media coverage and a mass audience at all levels to show that not everyone has forgotten about the Saharawi people.

Over a hundred specialised vehicles, heavily laden with supplies have now been delivered, supported by technical expertise, spares and resources to repair existing vehicles.

In addition to the direct benefits of vehicles and supplies the convoys have achieved much more :-

• The Saharawi people now realize that the people of Great Britain are aware of their plight and applaud their efforts at self help in such a difficult environment.
• Convoy participants have liaised directly with medical staff, teachers, and council members in the camps thereby identifying their exact needs for survival.
• People from the UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and the Channel Islands have been inspired to send aid and in many cases to form their own convoys.
• Convoy teams have had their eyes opened to fundamental human values and aims that have been forgotten in our so called developed world.
• The plight of the forgotten people of the Western Sahara has been kept on the World’s agenda.,

In addition to the convoys and the ongoing relief projects, groups of Saharawi children who have only known life in a refugee camp have been brought to Britain and lived with British families during the summer holidays.

Another British group - The Woodcraft Folk have been extremely active in bringing Saharawi children over to the UK each year. Programmes are being put in place to bring Saharawi students to England to learn English so that they can teach it back in the camps, and to train mechanics so that they can maintain their own vehicles.

Convoy participants are justifiably proud of the fact that less than 1% of donations raised are spent on administration. Wherever possible fuel, accommodation en route, motorway tolls, ferry charges, return air fares, office equipment, printing, staff etc., are sponsored thus enabling cash donations to be spent on relief supplies that are actually placed in the hands of the doctors, teachers and relief workers in the camps.

All convoy vehicles are on a one way trip to the camps where they remain to work for the Saharawi people in humanitarian roles. Each vehicle is obtained and prepared for convoy by sponsorship and voluntary work.

You can help - now that you know who the Saharawi are .

The Convoy moto is "What ever you do do, don't do nothing!