Standing in solidarity with the women and girls of Afghanistan
Update from Afghanistan from Stephanie Case, President & Founder of Free to Run
Many of you have reached out to me personally or to my team to express concern over the recent worrying developments in Afghanistan. I want to thank all of you for your support and also provide you with a much-needed update.
You will have seen in the news that the security situation across the country has deteriorated significantly over the past few days and weeks with the Taliban making sweeping territorial gains across the country. One by one, we watched provinces where Free to Run was operating fall to the Taliban, and today, the Taliban entered Kabul. Talks are ongoing with the government about a transition of power.
Operating in Afghanistan over the last seven years has never been easy, but the current situation brings new and immense challenges. We do not believe, however, that they will be insurmountable. We are not giving up.
Last month, I flew back to Kabul with our Executive Director, Taylor Smith, to meet with our staff and participants. I wanted to let them know first and foremost that Free to Run will always stand by them, and to hear from them what they needed from us - from all of you - in the face of such uncertainty. The strength of our program has rested in our ability to adapt and respond. We have always been led by the needs of our participants and this will not change. In fact, it will become even more critical as we navigate our way forward.
For the moment and in the immediate future, we are primarily focused on supporting the safety and security of our team in Afghanistan. We have been pursuing relocation options for some of our staff members over the last month and are aiming to support our participants through our network where we can. We acted early, taking precautionary security measures concerning our offices, equipment and documentation and will continue to take a conservative and cautious approach to safety. At the same time, I want to assure you that we are not losing our fighting spirit, nor the boldness of our approach in supporting the women and girls of Afghanistan.
We don’t have all of the answers right now, but we are tirelessly working to find them, with Afghans in the lead. A Taliban spokesperson has indicated that the group will respect the rights of women, and NGOs will be able to operate, but we will need to see how the situation unfolds in the coming days and weeks. The current upheaval is cause for concern, but we are not losing hope. We will need to shift, to adapt, and to change, but we will not give up. There will be a way and we will find it with a bit of patience, creativity, and sensitivity.
In the meantime, we still need your help - perhaps now more than ever. We may not be running marathons in Afghanistan right now, but we are continuing to pay staff salaries and support our team remotely, and we need to be ready to go when it’s time to shift back to programs. We are thinking creatively around how to support those who are displaced or attempting to relocate, and we will keep you updated on how you may specifically be able to assist. If you wish to support our efforts, please consider a one-time or recurring donation through our website https://freetorun.org/donate or directly through Paypal at donate@freetorun.org.
Our programs in Iraq continue and our mission remains the same: to support female leaders in areas of conflict through outdoor sport and adventure.
The future of Afghanistan is unclear, but what is certain is the need for women and girls to be part of the solution and the way forward. The Free to Run team is not giving up and I hope you won’t either.
In solidarity,
Stephanie