FREE TO RUN IN PALESTINE

In Palestine, girls and women are not free to run. For over 50 years, Palestinians have been living 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 the 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.

But imagine if girls and young women in Palestine could simply…run freely outside. 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.

For more on Free to Run in Palestine, check out this post on our blog. If you’d like to make a contribution to support this work, you may do so using the form below.

Your donation will build the resilience of girls and young women living in conflict in Palestine, through running. Thank you for your generosity.