English version
Who and where am I from?
Valentin Dragomir, Vali or Valik for friends. I am form Sibiu, probably the most beautiful town in Romania and, according to National Geographic, one of the top 20 towns to visit in 2019. A medieval town, with a rich history, European Capital of Culture in 2007, European Region of Gastronomy (only 8 other European regions have had this privilege) and probably the safest European city, thanks to the UE Summit in May.
About myself
I am 30… something years old 🙂. I am a father, a husband, an entrepreneur, fisherman, hunter, motorcyclist, off-roading passionate. Long story short, I am an active person with energy consuming (more or less) passions, dedicated and always looking for something new.
I first dared to see the Mongol Rally as a reality in 2016, and the idea, believe it or not, came from my wife. Due to some setbacks ( moto accident, work), I had to postpone it. 2019 found me safe and sound and more than excited about the Mongol Rally, so, together with The Adventurist team, I will finally get to see my dream come true on July 21st, when we will all start from Prague in the extraordinary adventure that is the Mongol Rally.
The car
According to the rally rules regarding the motorization of the car, I will participate with a Dacia Sandero 1.2 from 2010, because I am a proud Romanian who is participating with a Romanian car.
Why the Mongol Rally?
Driving is when I successfully manage to order my thoughts, plan, but also relax. It’s always been like this. When I am stressed, a long way for me to drive on is what relaxes me and helps me make the best decisions.
I’ve always loved to get involved with different cases that define me and where I feel I can make a difference. That is why, the Mongol Rally, a 20000km long way, that goes though 14 countries, filled with adventure, unknown, new cultures, with the declared purpose to raise funds for charity, combines everything that defines me.
The main project
In 2019, the main project is Cool Earth, a project that translates by saving the tropical forest and reducing the effects of global warming. Cool Earth has a healthy approach and doesn’t build fences or but lands in order to forbid deforestation. What it does is that it actively involves in the development of the communities whose survival relies on the survival of the forest. An aggressive approach, without concerning these communities, would be more harmful for the forest and people that could protect it.
Cool Earth project helps the communities that can protect the forest by giving access to education, scholarships, by building schools and classrooms, by offering medical services and vaccines, access to clean water, but mainly by supporting the activities that can transform a community that survives by cutting down trees into a community that is self-sustainable. Supporting the coffee and cacao cultures, or the jewelry production can raise the community’s level of life, which becomes a barrier against the deforestation.
My passion project
The project I chose, is Somaro organization, from Sibiu, project managed by Laura Gherman, a project that is all about helping needy families in Sibiu, my home town.
Somaro Sibiu is a non-governmental organization that collects food products, clothes and household appliances, that than commercializes at symbolic prices or donates to the persons with low incomes. The quality of the commercialized products is not affected, they are eatable, with valid expiration dates, but they can no longer be sold in classic stores because their packing is damaged by transportation.
Food products with a short expiration time are donated by supermarkets to Somaro, which delivers them to their stores, where the needy persons can buy them.
With the help of sponsors, Somaro stores have different campaigns throughout the year. For instance, at the beginning of the school year , they offer school supplies and office supplies, in order to give a chance to children whose parents or grandparents cannot afford to buy a backpack, a pencil case, pencils or notebooks that are required at school on a daily basis.
The products are sold for a symbolic price so that the person buying them won’t feel helpless, and also to help cover the wages of the employees.
Somaro has the only objective to get the financial resources necessary to cover their operations by selling these products. Given that these are donated, the money resulted from the selling is used to pay the wages to employees and cover the minimum additional expenses.
I chose Somaro from Sibiu because I have been involved in helping Somaro help the needy ones many times along the years. I did it because I know I can make a difference. I did it because, more than an adventurer, I am a father and a husband. Because I do everything I can to keep my family safe and prosperous, and it hurts to know that there are so many families that can’t afford so many things in 2019, basic stuff, that there are parents whose hearts break when they have to say ‘no’ to their children due to the lack of money, and what hurts the most is that there are children, forced to live in poverty, to dream of normal things that for the majority are a reality.
1000 smiles
Of course that, besides my noble implication in the rally, there is also my spirit of adventure, along with a different project I have, that is to capture, in the 14 countries that I will be transiting and 20.000 km that I will be driving, 1000 smiles, from 1000 persons, with 1000 personalities, 1000 stories, without any limits (sex, nationality), smiles that I hope to bring out other smiles, and that I hope will change, at least from my perspective, something.
How can you help?
If you are willing and able, you can support me with donations in money, equipment or even just a smile, please do. In return, I you will become a part of the story of 1000 smiles and you will definitely bring a smile on the faces of the members of a needy family in my town.
Also, if you wish, for the price of only 3 euro/cm2, I will put your add on my rally car, and I will commit to posting photos and stories where you will be mentioned, on the social networks and any other media available.
Useful links:
http://somaro.org/
http://somaro.org/ro/locatii/
https://www.premiilepentrumediucurat.ro/…/somaro…/
https://www.facebook.com/asociatiasomaro/?ref=br_rs
http://www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/…/the-cool-list-2019/
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-rally/#1
https://www.coolearth.org/
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