Thirty-five new bicycles will receive a second life in Azzarzan, Ifoulou and TasseInte following the latest donation from Bicis para la Vida by ŠKODA

The Bicis para la Vida by ŠKODA project promoted by the Fundación Contador, the Czech automobile company ŠKODA and the Seur Foundation has returned to the harsh geography of the Moroccan High Atlas to make a donation of 35 bicycles in three enclaves in the Tessaut Valley. As many as 26 bicycles were delivered to the village of TasseInte, another 8 stayed with a neighbourhood association created in Ifoulou to manage them, and the last one, a very special one, stayed in Azzarzan to help a child with intellectual diversity.

Harsh mountainous environments, winding and complex routes. For the first time on Moroccan soil, two members of the AMP, who worked so intensely previously, two members of the AMP who collaborate so intensely in the preparation of the bikes. “The Bicis para la Vida by ŠKODA project has allowed us to provide on-the-job training in bicycle mechanics; it has been an evolution at a training level for our workshops and activities,” says Mario Sánchez, AMP technician. “And of course in terms of life experience. For the kids, it’s a boom because they, who as people with disabilities receive, discover that they also give with their work. And they give a lot. This trip has overwhelmed them from an emotional point of view: getting to know another culture, another environment, other children? A lot of feelings, even more so, that make it difficult to put into words everything that we have experienced during this experience”.

Hafid El Rhadiouini, Bicis para la Vida’s interlocutor on Moroccan territory, has once again played a fundamental role in the smooth running of an expedition that has established its base of operations in Tagulast. “This project is doing some very nice things,” he says. “Imagine those children, or even that man, who are discovering for the first time something they have at most seen on television. Those feelings that come up before something that is new to you. Something unthinkable, something they never thought about, comes into their lives. And they begin to use it for many important things. The children in Azzuarzan travel to school in a nearby village by bike, and the teacher has set up an area where they can store their bikes for the duration of their lessons”.

The Rhadiouni makes sure he has on-the-ground knowledge of how the donations are used. “As the houses in Azzarzan are very scattered on the slopes, a garage has been set up where they are all stored and a person, whom we show how, is in charge of keeping them ready for the next day. When there are no classes, the younger children use them as a leisure activity. Some of the bikes are used to fetch water. In the village, donkeys are still used to go to the fountains, which are far away, but the time spent on the bike has been shortened, and that time is dedicated to the community”.

“For ŠKODA to participate in this project is a pleasure and an honour, it means a lot to us. We are a brand that was born 130 years ago repairing and manufacturing bicycles. And this initiative is a return to our origins; a return with a social objective, of cooperation, of help,” says Joan Massallé, head of sponsorship at ŠKODA and also present on this expedition. “We always say that ŠKODA is cycling. That’s why we like to be involved in everything around the world of cycling, from top-level competition such as the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España, to amateur races or cooperation with ambassadors and professional cyclists. This area of Bicis para la Vida by ŠKODA is probably not the best known, or the one that gets the most coverage in the mainstream media, but it is the one we are most satisfied with and proud of. We hope that with our help and involvement this work can continue and that people will be aware of the enthusiasm and happiness that the inhabitants of these villages transmit to us with their donations. We are very happy to do our bit so that this project can go ahead”.

“Another very nice experience, which is also interesting, has come in one of the villages: where some bicycles, in addition to their daily use, are used for tourism, which generates income for the community. With this rental, the association gets money to undertake some improvements in the village or to allocate funds for transport for some children’s medical or hospital visits”, Hafid adds. Paco Romero, head of the Social Area of the Contador Foundation, points out: “This initiative is illusion. And this is the word that defines Bicis para la Vida. Illusion for the faces of the children, illusion for the reaction of the people, illusion for the passion of the AMP guys, illusion for all the preparations involved…. It’s not easy, a thousand problems arise and many others along the way, but the illusion is more powerful and everything always finds a solution”. “There are many people who call me and ask me, please remember us. With patience, with time… the whole valley, all its children, will have their bikes”, concludes El Rhadiouini.

Alberto Contador has lived very emotional days, with very special moments and situations during the deliveries. “It has been an incredible experience that makes you think a lot. You travel to a totally different reality in which the minuscule, what may go unnoticed in our society, here is valued in an impressive way. It is nice to see how in Azzarzan, where a donation was made a few years ago, the bicycles are very well managed, they are an asset of the village and everyone takes care of them and uses them for tasks that are a common good for everyone….. And seeing the children makes an impact on you, it touches your heart, it moves you”.

[📷 Marian Molina]