WHERE WE WORK
Free to Run operates in some of the most challenging regions in the world, where decades of conflict and instability have resulted in extreme social isolation for women and girls as well as harassment, constrained mobility, and unequal access to education.
IRAQ
Iraq continues to experience conflict following decades of war. As the international response shifts from humanitarian aid to development, Iraq is still recovering from the most recent war against the Islamic State. Over one million people remain internally displaced and 6.5 million people need humanitarian assistance today. Iraq’s prosperity and stability are further threatened as a country on the absolute front lines of climate change–facing extreme weather patterns, unprecedented drought, and rising temperatures. In terms of the situation for girls and women, Iraq is one of the most discriminatory places to be assigned female at birth.
Since 2018, Free to Run’s program in Iraq has provided sports and life skills training to women and girls, ages 15-25, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Currently, we are delivering Free to Run programs in several communities and refugee and internal displacement camps in Erbil, Duhok, and Sinjar. Whether through running, hiking, camping, strength training, or engaging in Life Skills Through Sport sessions and volunteering, Free to Run members in Iraq are pushing themselves and redefining what it means to be a young woman athlete and leader in their communities.
“Free to Run means a lot to me. Women in Arab and Kurdish society are greatly oppressed by their lack of opportunities, while with just small support, they can achieve a lot. Free to Run supports women to become leaders. I see this as a very great achievement in our society. ”
AFGHANISTAN
In August 2021 when the Taliban took control of the government, and after eight years of continuous growth into five provinces, Free to Run had no choice but to stop our operations in Afghanistan. Since the fall of Afghanistan, the situation for girls and women has deteriorated in shocking ways.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls cannot attend secondary school
Women cannot go out of the house without a mahram (male escort)
Women’s protective and health services all around the country have been basically abolished
Rates of child, early and forced marriage have surged
And girls and women can no longer run free or play sports. It’s strictly forbidden.
However, the strength and resilience of the girls and women who designed, grew and participated in our running and leadership programs is as powerful as ever. This was abundantly clear when a handful of young leaders still in Afghanistan reached out to our U.S.-based staff asking for training and resources to lead indoor fitness and support sessions for young women in their community. Based on their own journeys, they saw an opportunity to provide healing and positivity for their Afghan sisters and took the initiative to help facilitate it. It was out of that conversation that “Omid” (امید) (the Dari word for hope) was born.
Omid is a clandestine program that Free to Run has developed, in partnership with young leaders, to support the mental health of Afghan girls and young women in this time of existential crisis. It is rooted in a belief that humans have a right to more than just having their basic needs met; they also have the right to develop practices that will guide them in living fulfilling and meaningful lives, including, the right to experience the joy of physical activity and all of its associated health and wellness benefits.
Free to Run works both directly and indirectly (through local partners) to deliver weekly indoor strength and mindfulness training sessions that are trauma-informed and focus on mental health and resilience outcomes. The sessions are delivered by young Afghan women from the diaspora, as well as from within Afghanistan. Today, we’re delivering this program cautiously and secretly, to mitigate any possible security risk from the Taliban.
“Sometimes we think we lost everything in Afghanistan and are no longer athletes. When someone comes and trains me like you did, I feel more motivated and am reminded I am an athlete.”
PALESTINE
In Palestine, girls and women are not free to run.
For over 50 years, Palestinians have had their fundamental human rights violated on a daily basis in an environment of violence, insecurity, inequality, and inhibition to their freedom of movement. As is the case in many parts of the world, girls and young women are considerably more disadvantaged by mobility constraints than boys due to safety concerns of their caregivers, gender stereotypes and norms, and the necessity to uphold family honor. It’s no wonder that the mental health of Palestinian girls and young women is amongst the worst in the world. A 16-year-old girl raised in Gaza has already experienced five major periods of hostilities in her lifetime. The war that began on October 7th, 2023 in Gaza is certain to exacerbate existing historical trauma across the whole population, especially girls and women - a trauma that lives in the body for a lifetime.
But what would running offer an individual girl’s wellbeing? Could long strides, self-propulsion, big breath help her navigate the stress of war and displacement in addition to the hardship of just being an adolescent? How might a collective of girls and young women moving freely - shift gender norms in a patriarchal society - especially one that is militarized, occupied and so fundamentally constrained?
We know that running can’t change everything - but it can absolutely transform girls’ wellbeing and societies’ views of what is possible for girls and women.
Our program in Palestine is delivered in partnership with Palestine Sports for Life, founded and led by Tamara Awartani (a champion athlete and social entrepreneur in Palestine). Launched in July 2024, the aim of the year-long program is to build the resiliency of adolescent girls and young women in 10 sites across the occupied West Bank, from Jenin to East Jerusalem.
PAST PROJECTS
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
At the start of 2018, Free to Run began a pilot project in DRC with local NGO AIDPROFEN. Decades of armed conflict have caused DRC to fall within the bottom third on the Human Development Index. Poverty and political instability remain constant even at times of relative peace, and many women and girls have been victims of conflict-related sexual violence, in addition to the gender-based violence they experience every day. Despite having a strong culture of sport in the country, women and girls do not have equitable access to outdoor activities. Within weeks of starting our project, word began to spread that a group called Free to Run had sports opportunities for women and girls in Goma. Almost immediately, we had a team of 60 students and mothers meeting three times a week for a 5-10km run. Thanks to a partnership with 261 Fearless, the global non-profit organization founded by Kathrine Switzer, we were able to expand the DRC project into a full-year program that included the 261 Fearless training program and our own Life Skills through Sports curriculum.
Hong Kong
In 2015, Free to Run introduced a special hiking program for refugees of war and conflict who were living in very difficult circumstances in Hong Kong. It started as a small program that offered a weekly hike for a handful of female adult refugees. With strong local leadership, the program steadily flourished, and in 2017 became its own standalone charity called R.U.N.
South Sudan
South Sudan, the world’s newest country, became embroiled in conflict just 2.5 years after it gained independence from Sudan. The escalation of violence across the country caused the displacement of 1.6 million people. In November 2014, Free to Run ran a successful project in South Sudan, through a local implementing partner called, Sports for Hope. The project focused on volleyball skills training for women living in a site for internally displaced persons. Our goal was to facilitate access to group sports activities for women and girls. Social cohesion can provide critical support to those who need it most, strengthening their coping mechanisms and reducing the risk of further vulnerability.
