The Bab el Raid, a rally from La Rochelle to Marrakesh, was created in 2016 and is organised by the Maïenga agency, who have been organising the Aïcha des Gazelles rally of Morocco since 1990.
Open to participants of all ages and from all walks of life, the Bab el Raid combines sporting adventure with solidarity through a number of challenges and other activities. One of the highlights of the rally is ‘Green Day’… a day devoted to the continued expansion of the largest palm grove in Morocco, during which the participating teams work with local farmers to plant the palm trees they financed in the run-up to the event.
For the 2022 Bab el Raid, 115 teams, 3 of which were made up of Excelia students, set off on Saturday 15th October from Excelia’s La Rochelle campus, the starting point for this 6th Edition.
This year's rally involved driving a total of 4,500 km through France, Spain and Morocco. A total of 12 extraordinary days bringing together students, young graduates, business professionals and sometimes even retirees!
Since its creation, Bab el Raid has resulted in…
- more than 13 000 palm trees being planted
- 650 water tanks being purchased
- 12 m3 of donated equipment being brought over by the teams
- 290 m of irrigation channels being renovated of the 1400 m needing work
The objectives of the association are…
- to tackle the issues of climate change and the problems associated with the desertification in Morocco.
- to participate in the fight against rural exodus by offering villagers the opportunity to earn additional, sustainable income in their local area. Date palms have the capacity to draw water from deep in the ground thanks to their root system. This means that farmers are able to cultivate their land all year round, and thus develop their business activities.
- to have a positive impact on education… more villagers i.e. more families and more children means that schools can continue to operate in rural communities, areas that often have fewer resources in terms of education.
