We’re racing, but this time it’s against the clock - supporting our team in Afghanistan
The Free to Run team has been through many races, but none like this. We need your support because we’re racing against the clock. Our small but extremely dedicated team in the US, UK and Europe is now working 24/7 on the safety and security of our Afghan staff and their families. As a US-based organization, delivering sports and educational programs for Afghan women and girls, there are obvious reasons to be concerned.
As you can see from the news, the window of opportunity for us to get our team to a safe location is closing fast. Our staff members on the ground are counting on us to help them, and we are doing everything we can to respond. We need to continue to act quickly and be ready to support them in the coming days and weeks, regardless of where they may be - in Afghanistan, in a third country awaiting resettlement, or in their new homes.
In addition to this, we have to ensure that we’re able to continue our ground-breaking programs, now and in the future. The organization is primarily funded through our Afghanistan program and countries are increasingly freezing their development aid due to concerns about providing the Taliban legitimacy and recognition. This will jeopardize not only our ability to continue to serve the women and girls of Afghanistan, but also to continue as an organization as a whole moving forward.
Our mission is to use adventure sports to develop female leaders in regions of conflict. Over the past seven years, we’ve worked with several thousand young women and their achievements are too numerous to count. Free to Run’s female participants include activists, TEDx speakers, Fulbright scholars, athletes with disabilities, national and international marathon runners, community leaders and so much more. The importance of our programs has been proven time and time again. We are fiercely committed to continuing our work - supporting women and girls in some of the most challenging places on earth.
Help our team in Afghanistan and our organization get to the other side of this crisis and ensure that Free to Run will be able to continue its critical work in supporting female leaders in areas of conflict. Please donate and share our fundraiser on JustGiving. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
Photo credit: Tyler Tomasello