sahara desert trek A 4-day trek in Morocco 3rd April 2016 to 10th April 2016 kamranuddin@islamichelp.org.uk call

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1 i s l a m i c h e l p p r e s e n t s sahara desert trek A 4-day trek in Morocco 3rd April 2016 to 10th April 2016 Registration deadline 23rd November 2015 Fundraising Target Registration Fee 250 Registered Charity Number call kamranuddin@islamichelp.org.uk Designed by

2 C O N T E N TS 1 Introduction 2 The Challenge 4 Islamic Help 5 The Cause: Eco Village 6 Itinerary 8 Registration 9 Effective Fundraising 12 Submitting Your Donation 13 Expenses 14 FAQ Introduction The Sahara Trek 2016 It s one of Earth s most dramatic natural features, the largest hot desert in the world. And as part of Islamic Help s fundraising challenges, we ve taken up the gauntlet of the Sahara Desert Trek. While the Sahara is almost as large as the United States of America and covers about one-quarter of the African continent, the trek is a relatively modest but challenging 4-day journey taking in some of the most stunning natural landscapes of Morocco. The terrain of the Sahara is shaped by wind, sometimes rain, and includes not only sand dunes but also hamada (rocky plateaus), dry valleys & lakes, and salt flats. You may also be surprised at seeing so much vegetation in the desert, including Tamarisk and Acacia trees and palms - April and October are green times of year. As part of your journey, you are likely to meet nomadic families who still live in the region, and come across other evidence of human existence here including the abandoned settlement and agricultural land of Erg Smar close to the Draa River bed (where once approximately 35 families lived), a nomads cemetery, a former souk, a marabout (shrine of a holy man), deep wells and grazing land for animals still used today. We ll provide all the help you need to complete the challenge, from accommodation, guides and nourishment to the ships of the desert camels to ease some of the burden of trekking. The best part of it all you ll be helping orphans in our Eco Village, providing them with the food, education and welfare that they need for a secure and stable upbringing. Morocco A kingdom where Europe meets Africa it lies just 13km from Spain one of the Arabic names for Morocco is Al-Maghrib (The West), reflecting not only its geographical location but its rich cultural heritage and blend of Arab, Berber, sub- Saharan Africa and European influences. A safe, tolerant and relaxed country, Morocco is renowned for its hospitality and has become a tourism hotspot with cities like Marrakech, Fes and Casablanca part of international folklore. Morocco Facts Capital Currency Official Language Population (2011) Religion Rabat Dirham Arabic & Berber 33 million Islam The original people of Morocco are the Berbers and while most Moroccans today claim Berber and Arab heritage, groups of pure Berbers still populate parts of the Rif and Atlas mountains and desert areas. Their strong cultural identity and heritage remains an important element in today s Morocco and in 2011 the constitution recognised Berber as Morocco s second language alongside Arabic. 1

3 The Challenge Our charity challenge is to trek in the Iriqui National Park in Morocco s Sahara, partly by foot and partly by camel. The trip begins (and finishes) with an overnight stay at a hotel in Marrakech. The trek itself will take in traditional Berber villages, the stunning peaks of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, lush valleys, palm groves and, of course, stunning sand dunes and the erg or sand sea. Each day will involve 5 to 6 hours of trekking, and during the 4 days you ll cover something like 50 miles! It s mostly walking on the flat but some may find the going harder than expected (and we advise wearing well worn-in footwear on the trek as blisters can crop up when sand gets inside the shoes), so it helps to prepare by making some long day walks out in the weeks leading up to the trek. There is the bonus of long lunches in the shade, the camel caravan to carry your luggage and equipment and an overnight camp of tents. And if anyone doesn t fancy walking, there s the option to take the camel! By signing up to the Sahara Trek, you and the other challengers will be taking part in one of the great adventures and helping raise money to improve the lives of orphans in the Eco Village. Still interested..? You don t need to be super-fit to take part in the Sahara Trek but it goes without saying that the fitter you are, the more you ll enjoy it. And with stunning landscapes and scenery, you ll want to be able to absorb all your surroundings, so prepare well. This information pack will provide you with all that you will need to conquer the challenge and support a cause that is close to our and your hearts. 2 3

4 Islamic Help The Cause More Than a Decade of Difference In 2013, Islamic Help marked its 10th anniversary and embarked on a new chapter in Reaching People in Need. Since its inception, the charity and international NGO has faced growing demands for its services. As well as significant contributions to relief efforts after major disasters and crises, we have established a series of long term programmes to improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of people. Our efforts over the years have included giving help and support after the Pacific Ocean tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake; the Mali and Niger crises; Cyclone Sidr; the Darfur crisis; the Haiti earthquake; the war in Iraq; the conflicts in Gaza; the Pakistan floods; the East Africa drought; Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and the ongoing crises in Yemen and Syria. Over the years, Islamic Help has worked in more than 20 countries and in addition to disaster and emergency response continues to provide support to disadvantaged communities in the developing world. We support communities to ensure they have access to clean water, food, shelter, education and healthcare. We are committed to providing sustainable solutions to poverty and disadvantage, to help those in need through aid and income-generation opportunities. Islamic Help has maintained its unique grassroots and community-led ethos and continued its efforts to engage the community so as to make a difference to the lives of those in need. Islamic Help prides itself on its ability to marshal young people, many of whom are still in full-time education, into the field of humanitarian relief and development. We now have offices in Birmingham, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Tanzania and Yemen. Islamic Help offers many opportunities for volunteers to contribute to society, make a difference and at the same time develop their personal skills, challenge themselves and have fun while doing so. The Children s Eco Village In March 2012 Islamic Help embarked on an exciting and innovative building project that will support 160 orphans and other vulnerable children. Situated in Kisumvule [just outside Dar es Salam] in Tanzania, the project will provide individualised care to promote the development, education and health of each child. With its emphasis on sustainability and almost total reliance on green energy, the Children s Eco Village will be truly innovative and self-sustaining. When completed, the Children s Eco Village will feature 16 eco homes, a sports ground, a playground, an Eco Mosque, a community centre, a library, a training centre and a permaculture farm. Eco Home Each Eco Home costs 60,000, fully furnished including solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system and a natural water filtration system which allows the re-used water to irrigate the nearby land. Each home supports 10 girls and a mother (a guardian who takes up the role of a mother). The money raised from the Sahara Trek will go towards building another Eco Home. Part of the 313 Campaign, where we are asking 313 people to donate 192, participants will have to raise 10 shares at 1920 (in addition to their registration fee). For more information about the Children s Eco Village, please visit our website: 4 5

5 sahara Day 4 de sert Today s goal is the large, remote sand dune region of Zahar which will be reached before lunch. The trek trekking terrain is largely flat, plateau-like earth (a dried lake) which gradually transforms into rolling sand dunes, with far less vege tation visible than previously. Camp is established at the foot of the tall dunes, be tween smaller dunes, and lunch is served. This is a lit tle-visited dune region and your afternoon is given to exploring Zahar, reaching the highest point to enjoy the wide-reaching views across the erg (sand sea) and then the sunse t. Zahar is also known as the screaming dunes - a legend tells of a village PLEASE NOTE: buried beneath the sands there. Today s trek time: 4 hours, depending on the pace of the group. The itinerary provided is for guidance only and is subject to change. Should the case arise where changes are made, all participants will be informed at the earliest opportunity. A more detailed itinerary will be ed out to all challengers nearer to the time. Our charity challenge is to trek for four days through the everchanging landscape of the stunning Sahara, to climb the massive Chigaga Dunes and to conquer the miles with the Anti-Atlas Mountains as our background. The days will be hot and the trekking will be tough, but the rewards are truly memorable. Day 5 I t i ne ra r y Today you ll cross the bed of the Draa R iver, to its northern banks, to start the re turn trek. The size of the river bed is astonishing, given that it now runs dry but once flowed in abundance through the desert (so much so, that up to 35 families lived on its banks, at the se t tlement of Erg Smar, further west from your route). Water does still run deep underground here and today s Day 1 trek will see more vege tation, some lining the course of Erg Chigaga former river tributaries. Lunch is taken under the shade Bougarn Flight and arrival in Marrakech Morocco, and pick up from the airport and transfer to the desert. Day 2 Today s journey traverses the High Atlas mountains of the tamarisk trees. After lunch, trek across flat land Lbor which was once fertile (when water was present) and you M hamid El Ghezlane Lotide The destination today is the village of M hamid and the lush valleys. Beyond Ouarzazate you cross the Anti- comple tion of the four-day circuit. The terrain once more Atlas mountain range before mee ting the course of becomes marked by desert scrub and earth banks, and the Draa R iver valley (the longest river in Morocco will be spent just outside M hamid El Ghezlane in the established, in the seclusion of small sand dunes. Today s Day 6 Pass at 2,260m), past typical Berber villages and kasbahs) and drive on via Agdz and Zagora. Overnight used as pasture for grazing camels. Overnight camp will be trek time: 5-6 hours, depending on the pace of the group. Erg Smar via the highest main road pass in Morocco (the Tichka and flanked by glorious date palm oases & crumbling will come across remnants of agricultural land which is now Draa Valley palm grove of Bounou, staying at one of the best guest houses in the region. Overnight on half-board basis. palm groves become more apparent as you near M hamid. You Sidi Naji Shrine Erg Zahar will break for lunch, in shade, before reaching the village. Your vehicle will be waiting to transfer you back to your overnight guest house, at the palm grove of Bounou. Today s trek time: 4 hours, depending on the pace of the group. Day 3 Day 7 The first day of the trek. After breakfast, you ll be driven the short distance to M hamid El Ghezlane Re turn back to Marrakech and spend the night to mee t your desert guides & camel caravan where the camels are loaded with your luggage/equipment. there before flying out the following day. Your guides will also help you to wrap your turban, ideal protection in the desert. The morning s trek follows the southern banks of the Draa R iver, through the vast palm groves and original se t tlement of M hamid (purported to be approximately 300 yrs old). Take time to visit some of the ancient pise-mud buildings, now abandoned, and enjoy the partial shade offered by the trees. At the end of the palm grove, take lunch at R as Nkhal. Here, the palm trees open out and give way to desert scrub and stone (hamada), earth banks & Day 8 2.5hrs towards the marabout (the shrine of a holy man) of Sidi Naji, close to where overnight camp will be Fly out from Marrakech airport.. tamarisk trees for the rest of the day s trek. After lunch, continue on a south-westerly course for approx. established, in the seclusion of small dunes. Today s trek time: 5-6 hours, depending on the pace of the group. 6 7

6 Registration Still keen on taking part? Well then, you re just moments away from securing your place. All you have to do now to successfully apply is complete the following forms (all online & downloadable): Registration form Medical form Terms & Conditions Upon completion you must submit these forms with your registration fee of 250 to the following address; Kamran Uddin, Islamic Help, 19 Ombersley Road, Birmingham B12 8UR All applications will be considered on a first-come firstserved basis. We have limited places and would advise you to register as soon as possible. In the event that your place cannot be secured we will refund your deposit. Deadline for applications with the registration fee Monday 23rd November You can apply online at: Registration? Check! Once you have registered, you will be contacted by the Islamic Help team who will finalise your place on the trek after a interview. You will then receive a welcome and, where necessary, will be allocated a personal fundraising officer to assist you with all your fundraising endeavours and offer you support and advice. You will also be able to access fundraising materials including sponsorship forms, collection buckets, penny saver boxes, leaflets, Islamic Help T-shirts and an Official Authority letter if and where needed. Effective Fundraising Exceeding your targets! Now comes the fun bit, how do you meet your target and then exceed it? The world is your oyster when it comes to fundraising. You can be as creative as you want or you can stick to some tried and tested methods! Aim High Firstly, set your sights higher than just achieving the minimum target. Publicise the event as much as you can to everyone that you meet and spread the word about how you will help make that difference Insha Allah. Get Techy! Create an online fundraising page (for instance JustGiving/Charity Giving) and send it to everyone that you know. Explain on the page why you are fundraising and provide details of the project you are fundraising for. Get your passion across to the reader so they too can connect with the project and feel the desire you have to make a difference! Your friends, family, work colleagues can easily donate on the page with a credit or debit card from the comfort of their armchairs. Furthermore online fundraising pages automatically reclaim the Gift Aid for every donation made. Make your donation 25% bigger The Government s Gift Aid scheme allows charities to reclaim tax on any donation made by a UK registered taxpayer. 8 9

7 Get Networking Make a contacts list of everyone you know, include your family members, friends, work colleagues, gym friends, old school and college friends, and even study circle friends!!!! Send text messages to all your contacts, and then follow it up with a call and ask them to sponsor you or help you fundraise. Hand out sponsorship forms to everyone you know, your family and friends can raise awareness about what you re doing and encourage others to donate. Plan & Execute Create a fundraising plan as to how and when you will achieve your targets. Give yourself deadlines and realistically plan your fundraising activities with your friends and families. Don t forget your personal fundraising officer will sit down with you and talk you through this. Mini Challenges to get the ball rolling Sponsored activities Getting the support of your family and friends is essential. In the past, volunteers have organised small sponsored mountain climbing challenges, walks and even bike rides where friends and family members have all participated and raised a small target of 100 each from their own pool of contacts. A simple walk with 20 volunteers can bring in as much as 2,000!!! B e u n i q u e, b e creative, feel free to seek our assistance at Islamic Help and remember this is your challenge! Match Funding Match Funding probably the easiest and most effective way of fundraising. A number of organisations will match any sponsorship target raised by their employees for charity. Find out if your employer offers match funding. You may be able to identify sponsors that will donate a substantial amount of money in sponsorship. Potential sponsors include local shops, businesses and even family and social contacts! Make an event of it! Get organising!!! You can put together a small fundraising event. In the past, volunteers have organised street collections and rallied their friends together to spare a few hours on a Saturday afternoon and have walked away raising s. Others have organised dinners or events in their local communities and have raised over 10,000 at a time! 10 11

8 Submitting Your Donation Once you have started fundraising it is extremely important that you keep a record of the money that you have raised. We are liable for every penny that we receive and we take this responsibility very seriously. Post registration you will be allocated a unique Islamic Help donor ID number and this will help us keep an official record of all the money raised. We are also aware that you may have family and friends who will donate in their name, this will also be recorded and added to your fundraising target. Handing in your sponsorship money with Islamic Help is quick and easy and there are numerous ways that you can make the donations. Please read the following guidelines. Online fundraising pages All participants will be required to set up an online fundraising page which will enable you and your sponsors to donate online through a safe and secure portal. The money donated on these pages will go directly to the charity and will be added to your fundraising target. Online donations You can donate online by visiting our website on and by following the simple online instructions. Please note you must confirm this payment with your local fundraising officer. Cash You can hand in any cash donations by meeting a member of the fundraising team in the Birmingham or London offices. Please give us a call and arrange a suitable time before dropping by. Cheque You can make your donations via cheques. These must be made payable to Islamic Help and addressed to our Birmingham Office. Phone This is probably the easiest and most direct way of submitting your donations. You can bank any donations and sponsorship money straight into your bank account and then call Islamic Help directly on to make your payment using your credit or debit card. We accept most major credit and debit cards. Expenses The Sahara Trek will be a phenomenal experience on many levels but it is principally a sponsorship challenge to raise money for a worthy cause our Children s Eco Village. Each participant has a fundraising target of 1,920 this is in addition to the deposit of 250. The deposit must be handed in by Monday 23rd November 2015 in order to secure your place on the trek. Islamic Help will provide you with the following: Air transportation to Morocco All transfers between airports and hotels Experienced trekking guides Camping equipment Equipment and travel as required during the trek What Islamic Help does not provide you with: Tips Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls etc.) Personal equipment/materials 12 13

9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What should my kit include? Footwear - trekking sandals, trainers (no heavy walking boots) Clothing - loose layers, knee-length shorts are fine, trousers for evening, fleece jacket for evening (just in case!). Remember: long sleeves and long trousers protect against the sun Hat/cap against the sun Sunglasses Scarf for the neck (as sun protection) Lightweight sleeping bag Sun protection cream Small first aid kit with essentials - e.g. painkiller, stomach upset relief, rehydration salts, antiseptic cream, blister plasters and normal plasters, tubi-grip Day rucksack - for carrying camera, suncream etc Tissues, wet-wipes, hand-gel Small torch (although a mobile phone does the same job) Spare batteries for camera/phone Snack bars/energy bars Travel pillow we don t provide pillows in the tents What travel jabs do I need? There are currently no official requirements for travellers to have specific inoculations before arrival but we recommend that you be up-to-date with jabs for hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus, and polio. Malaria prophylaxis is not necessary. Get a check over at your local GP before flying out; you will be trekking in a remote area. Notify the organiser of any pre-existing medical condition. (ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST COMPLETE THE MEDICAL FORMS IN THE REGISTRATION PACK). Check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice in the month prior to departure. What insurance do I need? While Islamic Help will take out the necessary travel insurance to cover this trip and any relevant contingencies which may arise from it, individual participants may also arrange their own travel and medical cover if they wish to do so. In doing so, they must make sure it includes cover for medical emergencies, the cost of rescue/evacuation by helicopter and that the relevant activities (e.g. camel-back trekking, desert trekking by foot, etc) are covered by the policy. What meals will be on the trek? All the food and drink provided on this trip is halal. We do ask you to specify any special dietary requirements to us. On the trek you will eat very well and you won t go hungry the emphasis is on fresh vegetables & fruit, tagines (meat/ vegetable), soup, salads (with tuna/sardines or egg), bread, pasta/rice, and lots of mint tea. You may consider bringing your own snacks/energy bars if you like to snack on-the-go. Drinking water is of course provided. If you are used to trekking with a bladder-pack please bring that, we can decant water from larger bottles. What is my fundraising target? The fundraising target for all participants is 1,920 (excluding the registration fee of 250). The registration fee must be submitted with the registration form before 23rd November While the sponsorship target may sound like a significant amount, volunteers have successfully managed to raise similar amounts and more using some of the many fundraising tips that the Islamic Help team has to offer. How long do I have to meet my target? All participants must raise 100% of their Target by 20th March What happens if I don t meet my target? All participants must reach their target by 20th March If you cannot any money raised will go to the intended cause. You may further be asked to withdraw from the Trek, dependent on the Managers discretion. Refunds are not eligible. All money raised shall go towards the cause. Who is eligible to take part? You must be over 18 to take part in the Challenge. Applicants aged 16 or 17 may participate if they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who will also have to meet the fundraising target of 1,920 plus 250 deposit and you must be fit and well enough to participate. You must be deemed fit by your G.P. Can I extend my stay? Any additional stay you must cover your own costs and Islamic Help will not cover this. For further information please speak to Kamran Uddin. JOIN US ON THIS AMAZING TREK! For further information contact Kamran Uddin Telephone kamranuddin@islamichelp.org.uk

10 Registered Charity No