From the desert...

This weekend we are in Morocco to learn how to drive in the desert, and also to learn how to navigate (not in a classroom environment). We spent this afternoon on the dunes... For novices we didn't do too badly, although a few swear words and a bit of sweat (and a shovel to help another team) were involved. As we write, it is getting dark, our French instructor is screaming at the team stuck in the dunes (not us) and we are watching night fall and going nowhere fast...

Two weeks and a bit to go...

We have completed a few days of introductory training, named our team, built our blog, found a charity to raise funds for, and are almost ready to go... Thanks to the support of our colleagues and their wizardry with regard to wikipedia searches to help us to understand the French words for "hose clip" we are almost done with our equipment purchasing. This week from Thursday afternoon until the earliest hour on Tuesday we are heading to Ouarzazate for desert driving training - and a bit of map and compass skill building. And then before you know it we will be off to Paris to pick up the Isuzu 4x4, packing up, and setting off on the 14th for the adventure of a lifetime!

From March 14th we are participating in the 2008 Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, which officially sets off from Sete in France to Morocco for two weeks of off road driving and navigational challenge.

Our participation in the 2008 is generously sponsored by Total Gas & Power. To further show our commitment to one of the key aims of the rally - empowerment and skill training for women - we are also using the event as a chance to raise funds for Women for Women International. Women for Women International provides women survivors of war and conflict with the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives, families and communities. Even a small gift can make a difference: $15 helps a woman in Rwanda start a savings account to fund her own business; $45 teaches a woman in the Democratic Republic of Congo how to read and write; $60 buys 10 health kits for women in Afghanistan - the health kits include bandages and iodine and allow the women to provide their families with basic healthcare; $200 provides a woman in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Afghanistan a micro-credit loan; $250 provides 12 women in Nigeria with rights awareness and leadership training... You can learn more about WfW International by clicking onto their website (link on the right) and of course -show your support for both our participation in the rally as well as for our chosen charity by clicking onto the link on the right.

Thanks to everyone for your support - and remember that with our team number "147" you can check on the official rally website (link to the right) to see our progress during the event. Wish us success in our daily quest for those challenge flags!