The general public discovered it during the Olympic Games. He brought them to life from the inside with the passion that drives him. Rachid Boudchar, after having had a successful career in combat sports and who is proud of his Creilloise roots, is on the island of Mayotte to help the population. And yes, the Olympics were barely behind him when he helplessly witnessed the disaster in Mayotte. What to do? This young man full of energy had a team on hand. Getting involved seemed possible to him. Neither one nor two, he convinces his team, his “warriors” as he likes to say, and here they are leaving for this disaster island.
“Do your best”
Their goal: to help as best as possible by providing the bare minimum necessary for survival. Rachid Boudchar is full of life. His communicative good humor and his positivism, whatever the situation, bring a lot.
Smiles despite the pain of having lost everything
Their best reward is the smiles they see reappearing among residents who no longer have anything, including children. “We do what we can with my little team of warriors,” confides the main person involved.
So where relief had difficulty getting in place, where water took four days to arrive by boat from Reunion, there are personal initiatives which are leading, which somewhere, are forcing the respect.
“We left Paris with a civilian plane to Reunion Island and then took a military plane to reach Mayotte.”
Arrival by military plane
Indeed, flights to Mayotte are closed. Arrival at Mayotte airport is undoubtedly where Rachid and his team noticed the extent of the damage.
“We knew that the work was not going to be easy, but we took a boat to reach the mainland of Mayotte where the majority of the damage had been noted.” After spending the night in a structure in the town of Mamoudzou without water, electricity or network, the team got to work.
Considerable damage
“The day after our arrival, we noticed the considerable damage throughout the island. We started looking for people still alive under the rubble,” said the rescuer.
And then, there was the discovery of the Banga (favelas) of Mayotte. Food and water distributions for families. To this day, Rachid and his team continue to help as best they can, by trying to renovate the living spaces. One observation: the population is cruelly lacking in resources and means.”
