'Aicha des Gazelles' women rally to kick off in April

The 15th edition of "Aicha des Gazelles" rally will take place April 21-30 in the south of Morocco.

92 teams from over 14 different nationalities will take part in the race, the women's version of the Paris-Dakar Rally that is open to motorised land vehicles (motorbikes, quad bikes, 4WDs, trucks, buggies...).

Senegalese President's daughter, Syndiély Wade and her compatriot, Valerie Dot will be among participants in this adventure.

The Senegalese crew will conduct a lobbying action with UNESCO to promote fighting AIDS.

Honorary advisor to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Syndiély Wade spearheads an initiative to involve youth and sports as part of a broad mobilization to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). She also took part in three editions of Paris-Dakar rally in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

"Aicha des Gazelles" is a unique 4X4 women-only race that involves driving off-road for nearly 2,500 km through the Moroccan Sahara.

Created in 1990, the nine-day race is the ultimate test of navigation, endurance and driving skills as the two-person teams drive across the desert using only a compass and military maps without any support of modern GPS devices.

Speed is not taken into account in the ranking of the event as competitors must combine strategy, keen driving and a sharp sense of direction.