Sight has its limits, recognizes its weaknesses and faults that vision does not know. This is embodied in the life journey of Tarek El Kahodi, born with a visual deficiency which only allows him to use his eyes 10%. However, the young Franco-Moroccan is driven by a determination stronger than anything, which was able to light his path towards noble values.
Born in Nanterre, Tarek El Kahodi spoke to Yabiladi about his life journey with gratitude and satisfaction. “Since my childhood, I suffered from severe visual impairment. The doctors had informed my parents that it would be difficult for me to study like everyone else, since I would not be able to freely choose between all the fields, particularly computer science. They had also considered the hypothesis that I would completely lose my sight,” he told us.
This challenge motivated Tarek to choose the field of computer engineering. “It’s a lucrative field, of course, but I also chose it to prove to others that I am capable of achieving my goals,” he tells us.
In 1998, Tarek obtained his baccalaureate, then a BTS in software development, in 2002. He began his professional career as a corporate developer. In three years, he became a computer engineer, “through self-study and practical experience.” Thanks to his determination too, the young man rose through the ranks, working for major companies, such as Orange, as well as for the French Ministries of Defense and the Interior. “I used to work on a regular computer, but I would modify it to suit my needs, such as font size or lighting settings,” he explains.
Despite his success, Tarek has lost the taste for success. Eager to serve humanitarian causes, he met the founder of the LIFE association in early 2009. This is how he became a volunteer for the charitable organization, then a local initiative, alongside his work.
At this time, the association is mainly focused on supporting disadvantaged communities, by distributing food, blankets and other basic necessities. Later, activities expanded to more than 25 countries, including drilling wells in several African countries to bring clean water to people in need.
“In 13 years, this modest association run by volunteers has become a global non-governmental organization,” Tarek, originally from the town of Berkane, proudly tells us. The NGO now has a team of 40 collaborators around the world, notably in France, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Bangladesh and other regions. Supported by more than 180,000 donors, it has been able to broaden its scope of action to projects as diverse as the supply of drinking water, the improvement of sanitation, education, food security and the protection of the environment. ‘environment. To date, it has a total of 4,000 projects implemented.
“So far, we have drilled 348 wells equipped with hand pumps, constructed 50 small water tanks and completed 7 wells with water tanks, powered by solar energy. In the educational field, we distributed 200 bicycles, contributed to the education of 7,880 people, adults and children, in addition to having provided 1,730 school bags.”
Tarek El Kahodi
In 2016, Tarek, now 47 years old, decided to leave his job as an engineer to pursue entrepreneurship. Looking for greater flexibility to devote more time to LIFE, he founded a restaurant with his brothers and sisters. In 2021, he became fully committed to the charity, becoming a full-time employee. In September 2022, he became its president.
Charitable actions in Morocco
Concerned about also contributing to the development dynamic of his country of origin, Tarek collaborates with the Zagora association. In 2017, he participated in the construction of a school in the mountains, near Taroudant, which became their first project in Morocco. In 2019, he decided to settle in the city of Tangier, where work began with the Darna association, specializing in the distribution of food to students in certain public schools.
Alongside the different forms of aid provided by the organization in various regions of Morocco, the flagship aid and projects were those following the Al Haouz earthquake, which occurred in Morocco in September 2023.
“We went to the disaster area a few hours after the disaster and launched a fundraising campaign. We managed to raise one million euros, which we allocated to food distribution, blankets and basic necessities. In coordination with local authorities, we then began building wooden schools to ensure students returned quickly to their classes. We chose wood to preserve the nature of the area. In one month after the earthquake, we managed to set up 12 schools.”
Tarek El Kahodi
Subsequently, another project idea emerged, namely the construction of houses in front of each school, for teachers from different regions to ensure the resumption of classes. Tarek says: “We started by erecting prefabricated sandwich panel houses, while continuing to build other schools. Then we moved on to building homes. We have installed 1,800 prefabricated houses, equipped with water and electricity. All this was done in collaboration with the Ouled El Kheir association from Marrakech, which also helped us in this process.”
The organization did not stop there; although the construction process had been completed, she returned to the area during the last month of Ramadan, to distribute food to affected residents, some of whom were still living in tents.
“I don’t regret leaving the engineering field. My life has changed since I got into charity work. We help people and in return, their smiles and prayers give us indescribable strength. They teach us a great lesson: despite their social situation, their smile never leaves them, unlike us, who have everything we have ever dreamed of.”
Tarek El Kahodi
Tarek’s successes and charitable work have become a source of pride for his family. He recounts with emotion a memory with his mother: “She still remembers the words of an old man, when I was two years old. We were on vacation in Imintanout, where she is from. I was wearing big glasses and she looked at me sadly. His gaze caught the attention of an old man, who literally told him: ‘don’t be sad and don’t worry about him. He will become an important person and be successful.’ Even today, every time I succeed, my mother remembers that old man’s words and cries.”
Tarek concluded his conversation with us by emphasizing that “when God takes something from us, he rewards us with something better”. Today, it is a philosophy of life in which he believes, confident in his vision which emanates from the heart, where the values of humanity and generosity shine brightly.
