Category: Blog

ViaVia Marrakech is very touched by the heartwarming messages and support, both from home and abroad, for their community. They established the “ViaVia Marrakech Helps” fund to help earthquake victims, now for emergency aid and later for reconstruction.

You can help by making a donation to the earthquake solidarity fund at BE71 7360 1995 3469 (Joker ViaVia Project fund) with the message “ViaVia Marrakech Helps.” Donations over 40 euros are tax deductible. You can find more info about this on the Joker website. With the money raised, emergency aid is currently being provided for the hardest hit regions in the mountains. Also in the coming weeks and months funds are necessary for rebuilding houses and schools, repairing fields and purchasing equipment for small businesses. All investments are made in consultation with ViaVia Marrakech and our local network of guides and organizations.

Earlier this week, tents from Joker, Anders Reizen and Bootz also left for the Atlas Mountains. These are going to people who lost their homes in the earthquake, so they still have some protection during the night.

Valparaiso is a nice and cosy city located near the Pacific Ocean, 100 km from Chile’s capital Santiago. A lot of international tourists visit the city, but it also attracts a lot of day-trippers who want to escape the hustle and bustle of Santiago.
During the corona crisis, the current managers returned to Belgium and their lives took a new turn. However, the ViaVia has always remained occupied and is thus well maintained and fully move-in ready. Now it is time to breathe new life into the beautiful story of ViaVia Valparaiso. Therefore, we are looking for new owners with lots of enthusiasm to continue the ViaVia story in Valparaiso.

Koen Vanmechelen and ViaVia Entebbe will build a giant CosmoGolem with and for the children of the community. The CosmoGolem is a wooden giant that strives to be a symbol of hope and evolution. This giant will be a place where children can dream, play and share their thoughts and feelings. Dance, poetry, stories, visual arts, … every form of expression is possible, combining art with children rights for a more just and sustainable world.

During spring the CosmoGolem will be built together with the children, local entrepreneurs and people from the community. Then several workshops will be organised for the children to stimulate them to express their thoughts and emotions.

The ViaVia Travellers Café Grand-Popo was established together with Centre Nonvignon, an initiative of Ecobénin, an organization offering sustainable tourism and coordinating large agricultural projects with a focus on ecology and entrepreneurship. At the Centre Nonvignon, Eco-Bénin started a horeca training for young people from poorer backgrounds. These young students can put their knowledge into practice in the ViaVia café and restaurant.

The official launching ceremony was enlighted by a cultural animation of the horeca training students. They decorated the restaurant and the guests were treated to a very extensive buffet of hot and cold dishes, enjoying a fresh breeze and the sound of the ocean in the background. A lovely place for tourists and locals to come together!

Lotte met Rachid during one of her trips to Morocco. That meeting turned out to be great love and a turning point in their lives. She exchanged her Brussels for his Marrakech, they got a beautiful son Nizar and opened their ViaVia Joker Travellers Café. By combining their travel experiences, enthusiasm and strengths, they are able to create a project with a positive impact, as social entrepreneurs. In the first place for their employees and for the neighborhood where the ViaVia café is located, but of course also for their guests, whom they want to give an authentic, unique experience on their city trip in Marrakech.

The ViaVia Travellers Cafe Marrakech is one of the new spots that has been added to the ViaVia worldwide network. Its opening was delayed from April 2020 to November 2020 due to the strict lockdown. Meanwhile, the ViaVia café has grown into a place for locals and tourists alike who come to enjoy the beautiful architecture, the delicious food, the lush (indoor) gardens and the cozy markets you find in Marrakech.