What is Yambi?
Yambi is an association founded in 2020 by Clélia Compas, a specialist in migration issues (consultant at the UN office in Thailand, then she undertook a doctorate in migration studies at the University of Sussex).
The aim of the association is to build human connections, empower refugees and accelerate their integration into the host society through mountain activities.
The Road to Mont Blanc.
Today they are taking on a new challenge: enabling five refugees to climb Mont Blanc in July 2021.
To date, no refugee has ever climbed Mont Blanc, so this adventure will be a first.
On this expedition they will be accompanied by professional mountain guides, as well as Marion Haerty (three-time world champion in freeride snowboarding), Léo Slemett (world champion in freeride skiing), Clélia Compas (founder of the association), Vincent Darré (co-photographer) and Dr Christine Janin (first French woman to have climbed Everest and patron of the association).
The ascent will be carried out using a buddy system, pairing a refugee with a local. The pairs will train starting in April 2021 and will climb Mont Blanc together as part of the same rope team.
The purpose of the expedition?
To produce a documentary and a photo exhibition to raise public awareness of the cause of refugees by exploiting the power of the symbolic parallel between the effort required to climb Mont Blanc and the difficulty of the path to integration into a host society.
In accordance with the principles of inclusion and co-creation governing all of the YAMBI association's activities, the design of the documentary will involve refugees and local people (direction, framing, musical composition).
And to go further.
The documentary and photo exhibition will serve as a fundraiser to open a solidarity café in Annecy staffed by refugees. The café would serve as a training ground where refugees could prepare for service jobs before moving on to other establishments. The space would also serve as a classroom where French classes would be held regularly outside of the café's opening hours.
How does OKRback support the project?
OKRback is supporting the project by providing financial assistance for the purchase of specialized equipment and funding for one of the mountain guides who will lead the expedition. It's also providing material assistance. After testing our Original and Sport bars in real-life conditions (high-altitude training), the participants requested nutritional support. That's why we've provided them with 130 practical and balanced meals to help them during the climb.
Portraits.
Jomah Khan, the dreamer.
Originally from Bamiyan, the capital of Hazarajat in Afghanistan, Jomah belongs to the Hazara ethnic group. This ethnic group is often the victim of persecution, kidnapping, and massacres. He left Kabul at 18 and spent three and a half years in Sweden before being refused political refugee status. Fearing repatriation to Afghanistan, he finally arrived in France. Like all asylum seekers, Jomah Khan cannot work and faces great loneliness. He wants to stand on the roof of the Alps, at the summit of his new home, to prove to himself that this is where his life will be made.
Grace, the artist.
Grace was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, to Congolese parents who fled the Congo following the fall of Monbutu. Living conditions for Black Africans in Ukraine are difficult. Victims of ethnic discrimination, the Ukrainian government requested the expulsion of her parents in 2014 to their country of origin, Congo. To avoid the same fate, Grace and her brother left Ukraine in 2017 and arrived in France, where their asylum applications were accepted. " Life is a series of trials and tribulations; that's what makes it powerful, in a way."
Sikou, the hard worker.
Barely out of his teens, Sikou saw no other option than to leave his native Mali to escape the increasing community massacres amid the civil war. He took a chance and crossed the Mediterranean Sea. He survived the crossing and arrived in France in 2019. Sikou applied for asylum, but to date has received no response. He wants to start a career as a mason or electrician as soon as possible. The mountains are his release valve, allowing him to escape and forget his problems for a moment.
Quambar, the champion.
Like Jomah Khan, Qambar is Afghan and belongs to the Hazara ethnic group . He too fled his country, the Taliban, the Islamic State, and persecution. His request for protection from the French government having been accepted, he took on a series of odd jobs and was then laid off like many others as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Sport is his escape; it's what allows him to vent and overcome the anxieties of everyday life. He is even considered a "star" in the small circle of Afghan refugees in Annecy thanks to his sporting exploits (the Maxi Race, the Maxi Snow, and the Sainte Lyon). This summit of Mont Blanc is a sporting goal for Qambar, with this crazy desire to run for a living and to be considered like everyone else.
Abdul Saboor, the co-photographer.
Born in 1992 in Nagrahar, Afghanistan, Abdul Saboor had to support himself from a young age. He worked with the American army for six years. Wanted by the Taliban, he was forced to flee his country. Always equipped with a camera, he immortalized the journey of his exile, his two years spent crossing Europe to France. Always equipped with a camera, he immortalized the journey of his exile, his two years spent crossing Europe to France. His photographs are exhibited in Serbia, Spain, England, Poland, and France in the windows of the Ministry of Culture, at the Cité des Mots, etc.
Together they will prove that anything is possible. No matter where you come from. And OKRback will help them reach for the stars.
