Arab News features LIFE

An article in Arab News shines a light on the extraordinary journey of Mehdi Debbrah, a young Parisian who set out to walk from Paris to Algiers in tribute to his late father.

This gripping account follows his journey through 9 countries, with the ultimate goal of reaching Algiers. What makes the adventure all the more remarkable is Mehdi's generosity: he decided to raise funds for our NGO, LIFE.

We are deeply moved by his initiative. In the article, Mehdi explains that he wants to fund the construction of a water tower in a disadvantaged country. Beyond giving people access to water, it will also open the door to farming and livestock rearing.

Today we are delighted to see that Mehdi's adventure has already borne fruit:

• July 2022: A 50-metre-deep borehole with a water tower was built in Togo, to the great joy of the villagers.

• September 2022: A 60-metre-deep borehole with a water tower was built, this time in Niger.

• August 2022: In Tunisia, food parcels were given to 200 families in need in the towns of Menez el Bab and Testour, in the Beja region.

• October 2022: In Algeria, food parcels were given to 244 families of widows and orphans in several remote communes in the wilaya of M’sila.

• November 2022: Bicycles were given to 100 schoolgirls aged 12 to 14 living in rural Bangladesh. The girls, who live in the villages of Sadar and Birol near the town of Dinajpur, were walking around 5km a day to get to school, in a region where girls often drop out of school very young because schools are so far away. As well as making their daily journeys far less gruelling, these bicycles have given the girls real prospects for the future through access to education.

• December 2022: In Lebanon, 150 Syrian refugee families received cans of fuel to keep warm in their tents and face the bitter cold of northern Lebanon, in the Akkar region. That's 600 days of heating, made possible by your generosity!

• December 2022: Thanks to your support, 150 warm clothing kits (fleece jackets, gloves, hats and lined socks) were handed out in France, at Porte de la Chapelle, Porte d’Aubervillier and Gare du Nord in Paris.

• January 2023: A hand-pump borehole was built in Indonesia in Neke village, Oetbolan Hamlet, home to 476 people who had access to just one source of drinking water. Because that source wasn't enough for everyone, villagers had to walk more than an hour to fetch water elsewhere.

• February 2023: In Morocco, food parcels were given to 200 families in need in the villages of Ahl Maati, Tiglit and Boutazart, in the Guelmim region.

• May 2023: In Indonesia's Aceh province, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, 3000 mangrove trees were planted by 5 highly vulnerable families to help restore Indonesia's mangrove forest – that's 12,000 square metres!

Mehdi shared his journey on social media, captivating more than a million followers on TikTok and 530,000 on Instagram. His fundraiser was an impressive success.

Thank you to Mehdi for this extraordinary adventure, to all of you for your support, and to Arab News for shining a light on our cause.

Together, let's keep making a positive difference in the world!