Two sisters take part in a sports raid in the desert, in support of children sleeping on the streets

For the second year, a Strasbourg woman is participating in the Sahraouiya multisport Raid, in Morocco, a set of sporting events in pairs, for the benefit of social actions. Her goal is to support a local association which helps street children, and this year, she is bringing her sister along in the adventure.

Hélène Klenklé is a specialist educator and mother of four children. In February 2024, she participated for the first time in the Sahraouiya Raid, in Dakhla Bay, Morocco, a multi-sport, 100% female and solidarity raid. Beyond the sporting challenge, it was above all the social dimension of this competition that attracted her.

Its objective was to raise funds for the Strasbourg association A roof for our students, which brings together teachers from the Meinau district, committed to helping homeless students and their families. A goal achieved beyond her expectations, since she had managed to raise the money necessary to pay the costs (heating and electricity) of a homeless family graciously housed by the City.

This is why, at the start of 2025, she is preparing to participate in a new edition of the raid, the 11th, which will take place from February 1 to 8. And this time, she will form a pair with her own sister, Jeanne Mérignac.

“This year, I’m doing it again, given the impact for our association” explains Hélène Klenklé. From one raid to another, its goal remains the same: to give more visibility and resources to the small local association that it actively supports on a daily basis.

She says: “‘A roof for our students’ was created six years ago by a group of teachers from Meinau, following the observation that some of their students, whom they had in class during the day, were sleeping outside at night.” And unfortunately, in six years of existence, the usefulness of this association has never diminished, quite the contrary.

“Our objective is to alert public authorities and citizensshe lists. And to appeal to people’s generosity, to bring blankets, a meal, school supplies, hygiene or basic necessities, diapers, milk… Or open their door to a family for a few nights. ” She herself sometimes offers this type of temporary accommodation, because “When I know people, I just can’t leave them out.”

But for a long time, the association struggled to make itself known. “We are bad at communication, we are not present on social networks.” Hence the importance of this new visibility thanks to the Sahraouiya Raid. “Before I raised funds with the raid, the association was surviving with very few resources, she recalls. But in the context of the raid, our online prize pool is swelling. And I can focus on what is happening in the streets of Strasbourg, and on our volunteer actions.” By reaching more and more people.

The sums she hopes to raise this year will once again be intended for these families who live in extreme precariousness. “Buy food, or buy an inflatable mattress, if necessary.” Even “pay a hotel night” if no other accommodation solution presents itself.

Last year, Hélène Klenklé went to Morocco in pairs with her best friend who, unfortunately, “had to give up after two days, due to serious health problems.” She finished the events with a new teammate, Myriam El Aarad, who was also let go along the way by her partner. The two young women did not know each other at all, but “had a perfect week.”

The Sahraouiya Raid consists of around ten high-level sporting events: mountain biking, trail running (running in the countryside), orienteering, run and bike (one member of the pair is on a mountain bike while the another short alongside it), night trail with headlamp, abseiling, canoeing, bootcamp (an obstacle course with ropes, tire pushing, wall to climb, obstacles to jump, etc.) as well as a surprise event (shooting archery, golf or pole test, which requires standing on a wooden pole surrounded by water, etc.)

Among the participants, “a lot of Moroccan women, a lot of French women, and a lot of girls from other African countries, Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa…” Around 700 women of 25 nationalities.

“I was going to do sports and spend a week with my friend, but I didn’t expect such a captivating atmosphereremembers Hélène Klenklé. It was a magical week.” Dithyrambic, she describes “a hyper-positive atmosphere of strong sorority”, a “really cool kindness” and meetings “unlikely”almost impossible elsewhere. She evokes “50-year-old mothers who had never left their husbands, and came to participate in this raid to surpass themselves”. Or even “reality TV hosts, who are in fact high-level athletes, hyper-solar and hyper-funny.”

With some of them, since last year, contact has remained almost daily: “We chat every day on WhatsApp, we laugh, we project ourselves beyond anything I could imagine.”

Captivated by this spirit of mutual aid and conviviality, Hélène Klenklé did not hesitate to “re-pile”. Especially since the organizers of the Sahraouiya Raid are themselves “hyper-engaged in issues related to the status of women in Morocco. Over the past two years, they have raised funds for the NGO SOS Children’s Villages.” And at the end of the week, beneficiary children were able to meet the participants in the raid, “and we organized sporting activities with them.”

After her best friend, who was therefore unable to make it to the end, the young woman this time managed to convince her younger sister, Jeanne Mérignac, neuropsychologist, to accompany her. “I know she is very committed to feminism,” she assures. She had to use persuasion to resolve her doubts about her sporting abilities, “but after three discussions, it was gone.”

The high level of demands of the events is not neglected, however, and the two young women have been training for weeks. A lot of training. “We shouldn’t laugh, last year, we didn’t go there with our hands in our pocketsrecognizes Hélène Klenklé. I play sports all year round, I know what to expect.”

When their respective schedules allow them, they meet up. “This weekend, we managed to organize a bike and run. And next week, we have planned a canoe session.” The rest of the time, “the bulk of the work is done individually, with a joint debrief.”

Personal preparations, to be in their best shape when they meet again on this extraordinary adventure. Moreover, Hélène Klenklé already sees further. For her, this second raid will certainly not be the last. “I tell myself that this will become my annual meeting at the beginning of February”she smiled.