Adventure and solidarity in Morocco: Imperial student returns from the 4L rally

Imperial student drives nearly 6000km on a journey from France through Spain and into Morocco to deliver supplies to impoverished school-children.

Every year since 1997, upon the initiative of the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Rennes (ESC Rennes), a bevy of Renault 4L hatchbacks sets off across the French and Spanish countryside before sailing across the Gibraltar Strait and into Morocco for a mammoth 6000km journey known as the 4L Rally. Their prime objective is to drive through the punishing desert of Morocco to a remote school where they will donate school and sports supplies to the students through the Enfants du desert (Children of the Desert) charity.  

Emilie Sauve, an MSc student from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, was joined by her childhood friend Dounia Cherkaoui as they set off from the starting line in Biarritz in their packed Renault 4L. Along with 2000 other students from France and around the world they carried nearly 50kg of supplies including medical supplies, computers, printers and solar water pumps in their cars to donate to schools in the “Merzouga”, the far reaches of the Moroccan desert. Their efforts mean that 220,000 students will get the opportunity for a better education. In addition, the total funds of €25,000 raised by the teams will allow for the construction of 3 schools to add to the 9 others already built through similar efforts.

The rally this year was held from the 18^th to the 28^th of February beginning in France and proceeding through Spain into Morocco. The challenges were to cover each day’s rally stage using a road book, map and compass while passing set checkpoints along the way. The teams were ranked based on who was able to plot the shortest route through the tricky and shifting terrain of sand dunes and unpaved paths. This daunting task is what makes the spirit of solidarity so important. Competitors often discover that everyone has to rely on each other to fix breakdowns, avoid pitfalls on the route and discover the joy of navigating an unknown but beautiful landscape in the company of other like-minded individuals – always learning more as they go along. After the supplies were donated to schools, the teams headed back to Marrakech and drove through Europe back to the starting point.

We caught up with Emilie after the rally to ask her about the experience: 

What was the best moment of the rally for you?

I think nothing can beat driving across the wide open desert in a tight-knit group of hatchbacks with only the help of your teammate and fellow rally-goers to back you up. When we finally reached the school, it was really moving to see the children so happy to see us. I think those were definitely highlights for me.

What was the toughest stage of the rally?

The Marathon stage over 2 days where we drove 230km with no support through the desert was probably the most daunting. Funnily enough, on the ferry back from Morocco nearly everyone was sick. That was probably the worst moment.

What are your takeaways from the experience?

Firstly I would like to express how thankful I am to all the people who helped us raise money and donated generously. I’m especially thankful to the Department of Chemical Engineering who provided a donation to help sponsor our team! During the rally, it was really heartening to see the spirit of solidarity with which everyone approached it. People were always happy to stop and help us if there were every any breakdowns or issues; I don’t think anyone could have done the whole journey by themselves.

Please join us in congratulating Emilie on participating in and successfully completing the 4L Trophy challenge. You can watch the video highlights from their team below.