Running For The Saharawi People

Published on Tuesday February 02 2010

In three weeks' time I will be setting off to visit the Western Saharan refugee camps in Tindouf, SW Algeria to take part in Running the Sahara 2010! It has been 12 years since I ran my last London marathon, so I have only committed myself to 10km, and will be very pleased if I achieve even this over difficult terrain, writes Judith.  

This is an international event to show solidarity with the Saharawi people, and to raise money for projects to improve the lives of almost 200,000 refugees who fled their homeland when it was invaded by Morocco in 1975.  

After a 16-year war an agreement was reached in 1992 to allow the UN to organise a referendum for Saharawi self determination, but 18  years later the Saharawis are still waiting to vote for their future.

These people are dependent on food aid to survive, isolated and largely forgotten – see www.wsahara.org.uk.

The plight of the Western Saharans first came to my attention in the early 1990s when, as a voluntary youth worker in the Woodcraft Folk, we hosted delegations of the refugee children over two summer holidays. I remember the squeals of delight from our bathroom as they first experienced flushing toilets and running taps, which really brought home to me the realities of their daily life in the desert.

These children have now all grown up – but are still living as refugees.

In 1993 I visited the camps as part of a Woodcraft Folk delegation and was hugely impressed by the hospitality and generosity of those who have so little, and who were delighted at the solidarity that our visit demonstrated.

The funds which I and my fellow Sahara runners hope to raise is for Sandblast Arts www.sandblast-arts.org, who have experience of working in the refugee camps and will finance art workshops and offer the Saharawis skills, resources and opportunities to develop and earn a livelihood through the arts.

This year they hope to raise enough funds to set up a mobile recording studio in the camps and to train the Saharawis to run it themselves, giving them a voice through their wonderful music and songs.   

Your donation – however small – will be greatly appreciated. I have funded all my expenses for the trip, so all your donations will go straight to Sandblast Arts. You can donate easily at www.justgiving.com/Judith-Harrison and if you are a UK taxpayer please remember to Gift Aid your donation.

Please tell others about the forgotten people of the Western Sahara. Thank you, and best wishes, Judith

To find out more about the event you can visit www.saharamarathon.org.