This Saturday, two caregivers from the CHPG de Monaco will be on the starting line of the Aïcha des Gazelles rally
“ACome on, we’re doing a rally-raid”. That morning of January 5, 2020, at the sight of the robust vehicles of the Africa Eco Race parked on the Rondelli stadium in Menton, not far from the New Year’s bath in which they took part, Patricia Cappelli and Lorène Ilacqua launched this challenge. a little crazy.
This Saturday, two years after this promise with their feet in water at 15°C, these two work colleagues in the pediatric-neonatology department of the Princess Grace Hospital Center will line up at the start of the Aïcha des Gazelles rally. An orienteering race with 195 exclusively female crews.
Two decades separate Patricia and Lorène, but the same grain of madness, the same thirst for adventure binds them. A feeling accentuated by two years of pandemic. “It’s a real breath of fresh airrecognizes Lorène, a 36-year-old Mentonnaise and childcare nurse. We had hospitalized children, those who had pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS). Preparing for this rally for two years helped us to think about something else, to get through this crisis. Talking about positive things also helped our colleagues to take their minds off things.”
Not a speed rally
For the two friends, viscerally driven by a spirit of mutual aid, solidarity and sharing, it is therefore a leap into the unknown. Well almost. “In February, we went to Morocco for training to drive a 4X4 on the dunes and experienceexplains Patricia Cappelli, 56-year-old Roquebrunoise and childcare assistant. We also learned to use the compass and find our bearings on a map.”
Because the concept of the rally-raid is clear: no speed, no GPS but old-fashioned navigation and only off-road.
Final objective: reach several beacons, in order, covering the shortest possible distance.
Talk about Mission Enfance
At the wheel of their 4X4 Toyota KZJ 73, customized with the silhouettes of babies, the “pitchouns gazelles” – their team name – will preach the noble cause of a Monegasque association, Mission Enfance, which helps children in distress in the world. A proof for those who take care, on a daily basis, of sick pitchouns.
“We chose a nursery project in Burkina Faso. For 20 years, they have been remembering abandoned babies and have created, alongside, a structure to train staff. At the end of the project, if we have funds left, we give it entirely to this project”, confide the two caregivers.
With the green light from the management of the CHPG, to raise funds on its behalf from sponsors, Patricia and Lorène had indicated 35,000 euros, half of which covers the registration fees for the competition which supports participants up to at the end of the rally.
“We will also bring bags of warm things for the children”, they specify, will determine to continue their action for children, on the other side of the Mediterranean. Same CHPG lanyard.
Laura, a Monegasque employee, and Cécile aim for the Top 30
The “215” crew does not leave for unknown lands. In 2016, “on a whim”, Laura Sacchiero, lawyer at Humbert & Poyet in Monaco, and Cécile Bories, consultant in Toulouse, had set foot on Moroccan soil to take part in this crazy adventure. For this first in this hostile environment that is the desert, these two long-time friends, originally from the Pink City and globetrotters at heart, had completed 45and out of 135 crews.
This year, after two years of reporting and as much time chomping at the bit, the two “gazelles” want to grab places in the general classification. “Why not the Top 30? The idea is to surpass yourself in this adventure where you come out grown. The first edition characterized us so much. After that, we thought we could do anything, confides Laura, in charge of driving the 4×4 Toyota HDJ 80, rented and equipped for this journey. It may be a bit cliché, but women are poorly represented in the automotive world. But we have our place, we are doing well whether it is in mechanics, in driving, in orientation.
The environmental and humanitarian nature of the Aïcha des Gazelles rally also convinced Laura and Cécile to return for a second edition. “It is one of the least polluting rally-raids, the first also ISO 14001 certified. Carbon emissions are largely offset. The Cœurs de Gazelles association, for example, recycles water bottles to build walls for crèches and care centers in Morocco.
The same association will offer, along the course, a caravan of free pediatric and optical consultations, and even emergency surgery, in the villages and schools surrounding the bivouac. More than 1,500 children should benefit from it with the allocation of a health booklet. “A medical follow-up is also offered for the most needy, she completes. They are not left behind once the rally is over.”