Ice Cream to Timbuktu
2007. The Rotary Clubs of Appleby and Upper Eden took part in the Plymouth-Timbuktu Challenge.
The Mission
Purchase a vehicle for under £100 and spend less than £15 restoring it. Fill the vehicle with desirable goods. Drive to Bamako, the capital of Mali. Donate the vehicle and contents to Bamako Rotary Club. Take in Timbuktu.
The Team
Roger Frank (Rotary Club of Upper Eden), John Taylor (Appleby Rotary Club).
The Result
£13,250 was raised by the project to fund classroom equipment for a replacement school roof and new pump for the village of Dinfara, a new pump for Koulouninko village and classroom equipment for Pogoon School.
The Story
A van was purchased from a scrap yard and remodelled as an ice cream van. It was filled with hand cranked sewing machines, pens and pencils, digital thermometers and wheelchairs, then driven through Europe, Morocco, Mauritania and into Mali the Worlds 4th poorest country.
The Sahara crossing took 4 days.
The expedition took 3 weeks to reach Bamako and a further week to travel to and from Timbuktu.
The van and contents were donated to Bamako Rotary Club who arranged for distribution of the goods and the sale of the van to fund local projects. John and Roger then flew home.
15 vehicles made the trip. All were donated to the local Rotary Club to raise funds for local good causes.
