This organization aims to provide desert villages in Morocco that are secluded and cut off from the electricity grid with clean solar energy and improve the quality of life of the children and poor families who live there. In the Moroccan villages of Lakhraouia and Oum El Hadj, Conergy equips two schools and eight residential buildings with small solar energy systems.
Desert lights for education
Small power plant, big impact: Last year in Oum El Hadj, the solar experts already brought light to some of the villages clay huts. This attracted not only an additional family to the village, but also a teacher who now educates the children at the small village school. On the roof of the school, Conergy is installing a sunny power plant for education as part of this years desert rallye. In Lakhraouia, the solar experts will also equip the school with a small solar system. They are additionally bringing light to the darkness of five small village houses as well as to the clay hut of a nomad who has permanently settled in the immediate vicinity.
Clean energy for a total of 5,000 desert residents and school children until 2011
A total of 100 people, including 60 school children, are benefiting from light from sunlight thanks to the rallye commitment of Conergy, says Laetitia Chevallier, president of Enfants du désert. Though these are things we often take for granted, for the people there this is of incredibly great significance for the quality of life, education and care, for in addition to the clean energy supply we organize medical treatment as well as sponsorships for children from the region.
The engagement, however, does not end with the rallye. The organization Children of the desert takes care of the installation of solar systems at the desert villages during the entire year. For next year, Conergy France has already delivered two tons of materials with which 520 houses, huts and school buildings can be equipped. Approximately 5,000 residents will then benefit from the clean solar power.
100 teams, 10 years and 1 Conergy racing team
It is a great feeling to help these families here and to support the children of the desert, says Brigitte de Paepe, managing director of Conergy France. In past years we have been able to bring a total of 35 solar energy systems to Moroccan huts and schools. In the truest sense of the word, this is a shining example that we want to continue to set.
The Conergy director not only takes the lead with a shining example for ecological humanitarian aid, she is also behind the wheel. From October 7 onwards, she will temporarily be the pilot driving an 4×4 jeep instead of steering the solar business of the French branch. This year she will be participating for the first time together with her co-pilot as the Conergy Racing Team in the rallye that is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2010. Around 100 teams will be at the starting line consisting only of women.
In addition to women, the all-wheel event organized by Désertours also emphasizes CO2 neutrality all around. The respective teams buy back the CO2 emissions caused by the jeeps as well as the trash created.
The event organizers additionally pay attention to naturally degradable materials in the teams equipment, such as the solar-heated 2.5 kW bivouac in which the teams sleep at night.
Conergy also focuses on environmental impact. In addition to the donated solar energy systems, the French branch has sounded out the Roses Eco-challenge, which will award the best environmental impact of the participating teams.
Economics and ecology are not mutually exclusive we want to heighten this awareness just as much as the idea of coexistence, says de Paepe, justifying the commitment. We are pulling together as a sports team but also as a humanitarian team together with Enfants du désert in our Light in the desert project.
