If sports had an award ceremony equivalent to the Oscar’s (enlighten me if there is) I am not the first (or fiftieth person) that comes to mind when you have to pick a ‘most athletic’ nominee. In light of that, I cannot deny that playing sports/ exercise has been a constant positive aspect in my life, which is now hard to imagine my life without.

I picked up a tennis racquet when I was six, which evolved to becoming a family sport I play with my father and brothers till this day. I later dabbed into other activities (fun facts coming up) such as karate (made it to yellow belt), basketball (I could dribble and run, that’s about it),  horse riding (potential comeback coming soon), track and field (running is a form of meditation for me now, I love it), and I later competed in volleyball and football (played defense) through middle and high school.

I can’t claim that I was exceptionally skilled in any particular sport, but being exposed to all these activities while growing up instilled in me the value of commitment, team work, and sportsmanship, while also playing a vital role in rapidly developing my self-confidence and social skills.

Looking back, I couldn’t image a better way to grow up and to discover who I was as a daughter, friend, student, teammate, and a woman. And not till recently that I’ve come to realize how blessed I was/am to (1) be introduced to such a variety of activities from such a young age, and (2) have access to sports facilities, equipment, and coaches to be able to actually participate in any sport.

So (after all what was mentioned above) this is why I am cycling for 240 km with 50+ other cyclist from Gaustablikk to Oslo this August to support PACES. PACES is a NGO that gives the opportunity for girls and boys placed in refugee camps to play in sports.

I am not going to describe the daily hardships the marginalized communities in refugee camps face, since anyone can pick-up a book / scroll through articles online to understand the injustices and demeaning living conditions that refugees are forced to cope with.  But to know that I am able to provide an opportunity for a child to fall in love with a sport, participate in organized and healthy competition, flourish and channel their energy into tangible achievement, and empower them to become active citizens in a platform blind to nationality and hate; is a great motivation for me to train for a physically challenging (… so we’ve been fairly warned) bike ride this year.  

There’s so much I could do to prepare for this trip, but the reality is I can’t do this alone - so your moral (and any monetary) support will go a long way!

Thank-you in advance ! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

More about PACES:

PACES was founded nine years ago for the almost exclusive aim of developing and funding much-needed sports programs for Palestinian children: for boys who would otherwise be on the streets with nothing to do and therefore exposed to potential extremism, violence and radicalization, and for girls who would be stuck at home feeling marginalized and not empowered.

Since inception, PACES will have almost 7,000 children between Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan by the end of the program cycle.

The funds raised through Cycling4Gaza will be used to support 700 children and their coaches in Gaza. More specifically, 70% of the funds will be used to cover the direct running of the PACES sports and civic social programs in Gaza as follows:

1. Support 28 female and male coaches
2. Support field staff members and programs communication
   
3. Provide uniforms and equipment for 700 children and their coaches; which are bought locally to support the local economy
4. Civic and social activities that includes health, hygiene, environmental and educational awareness sessions and fun activities for the children
5. Coaches capacity building workshops, parents public meetings and other activities with the sports centers and clubs
6.  Support one team of boys/girls from PACES children in Gaza to participate in the 2016 Norway Cup

The remainder of the funds will contribute to the PACES sports program in West Bank and the refugee camps in Lebanon.

ACES is a UK-registered organization that does not have any political affiliations.

http://pacescharity.org/

http://vimeo.com/38566167

http://youtu.be/jJs8Yvyq2DM