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exchanging plans with associations and locals , I decided to support a community in Morocco in two separate ways . The first one was focused on the education and wellbeing of youngsters of the village of Zouala , similar to what we did in Brazil . Located in the Ziz Valley this tiny village is positioned in the middle of an expanse of palms , surrounded by high cliffs . Locals live entirely by the gathering of dates from the palms . Summers can be ferociously hot and winter ' s bone-chillingly cold . Zouala is home to a small classroom for kids aged 3 to 4 years old and in the winter they all struggle with the harsh conditions that threaten their comfort while trying to concentrate on and enjoy studying . To ease the discomfort , they wear heavy down vests but to make life a little bit easier for them and the teacher too , I purchased a wood stove from a shop in the nearest town and funded the transport to the village as well as its installation . Even though the children were too young to understand what was happening , the idea wasn ’ t to receive any congratulations from them . The feeling of knowing that they ’ ll spend their next winter in better conditions is the only satisfaction I need .
The other aid I wanted to provide was to four nomadic families living in the desert close to Merzouga . Morocco has been experiencing one of its most serious droughts in history , with more than four years without any rainfall in this area . Nomads live off of their livestock of goats . Without so much as a drop of rain for all this time , it has been extremely difficult for them to find the proper feed for their herds . The prices of all primary resources increased by 30 % in less than two years and their lifestyle , freedom , and traditions are in great danger . Again , my help would not go so far as to dramatically improve the sustainability of their culture , but it was aimed at making life a little easier , even if only for a fleeting period of time . With all that in mind and after contacting a helpful local , I reached the town of Erfoud where I bought large quantities of flour , couscous , oil , tea , sugar , eggs , salt , spices , soap , shampoo , and many other essentials for each family , as well as fodder for their goats .
We set a rendezvous on the edge of town , to make an inventory before heading deeper into the desert to deliver the supplies . Before I continued my journey , a local family invited me to stay with them for the night to experience their intriguing lifestyle . After 20 kilometres in the middle of nothingness , I finally reached their camp . Out here , all I could discern was sand , rocks and the remains of goats dried out from the sun . For the people who call this land home , however , this place is the setting for a lifestyle and culture that spans hundreds of years and continues to exist with pride , despite all the hardships and limited resources .
Without a doubt , this insight into desert living was the highlight of my Moroccan trip . Even though the language barrier was strong , smiles were universal . I spent the night in their camp , playing with the kids , joining them for dinner , warming up around the fire , looking at the sunset , feeding the goats and sharing mutual curiosity towards each other . I felt privileged in many ways . Privileged of not having to struggle every day to “ survive ” like they do and privileged to be able to share such moments with them . An emotional moment I ’ ll never forget .
The next day , invigorated once again by the generosity of strangers , it was time to keep on exploring this stunning country . I felt the need to be alone in the wilderness chasing unknown tracks and unseen landscapes . As always , I let
my curiosity decide what road to follow , something that can ’ t really be experienced when travelling in a group of friends or on a tour . I prefer to explore remote places by myself and let the interactions with people occur unplanned . It ’ s taken years of confronting and overwhelming travel to find comfort and peace in solitude but nowadays I find it best way to experience what I believe is a sense of true freedom . As long as I have water , food , and fuel , I can go
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