Zineb Bekkali Pennese
Zineb is Cycling4Gaza this year
Fundraising for PACES
Story
Dear family, friends and colleagues,
What did I get myself into?
I have decided to sign up to a 3-day, 240km cycle from Gaustablikk to Oslo in Norway this August in solidarity with the children of Gaza. I will be cycling alongside 49 other individuals in support of the UK-based charity PACES (www.pacescharity.org), which focuses on developing and funding sports programs for children in marginalised communities and refugees camps in Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon ( http://vimeo.com/38566167).
How you can help?
- donating whatever you can to this fundraising initiative
- donating whatever you can to this fundraising initiative
- talking to your friends about PACES and our Ride
- sharing the links below about the work and mission of PACES
Thank you so much for your kind support.
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. Their initial sets of programs were for 400 children at 6 locations around the Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah areas. The aim was to add 200-300 children per year but thanks to the generous support of many friends, and institutions, they will have over 6,000 children in their 2016 program cycle, which Cycling4Gaza is supporting.
Though PACES coach the children football, basketball and volleyball as a means of getting them into their programs, PACES emphasize the importance of education covering topics such as personal hygiene, work-ethic, and community service. The PACES model provides for regular and ongoing coaching for the children in groups of 20-25 at least twice a week. Incredibly, 50% of the children in the programs are girls.
The funds raised through Cycling4Gaza will be used to support 700 children and their coaches in Gaza.
- Support 28 female and male coaches
- Support field staff members and programs communication
- Provide uniforms and equipment for 700 children and their coaches; which are bought locally to support the local economy
- Civic and social activities that includes health, hygiene, environmental and educational awareness sessions and fun activities for the children
- Coaches capacity building workshops, parents public meetings and other activities with the sports centers and clubs
- Support one team of boys/girls from PACES children in Gaza to participate in the 2016 Norway Cup
- PACES sports program in West Bank and the refugee camps in Lebanon.
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. Their initial sets of programs were for 400 children at 6 locations around the Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah areas. The aim was to add 200-300 children per year but thanks to the generous support of many friends, and institutions, they will have over 6,000 children in their 2016 program cycle, which Cycling4Gaza is supporting.
Though PACES coach the children football, basketball and volleyball as a means of getting them into their programs, PACES emphasize the importance of education covering topics such as personal hygiene, work-ethic, and community service. The PACES model provides for regular and ongoing coaching for the children in groups of 20-25 at least twice a week. Incredibly, 50% of the children in the programs are girls.
The funds raised through Cycling4Gaza will be used to support 700 children and their coaches in Gaza.
- Support 28 female and male coaches
- Support field staff members and programs communication
- Provide uniforms and equipment for 700 children and their coaches; which are bought locally to support the local economy
- Civic and social activities that includes health, hygiene, environmental and educational awareness sessions and fun activities for the children
- Coaches capacity building workshops, parents public meetings and other activities with the sports centers and clubs
- Support one team of boys/girls from PACES children in Gaza to participate in the 2016 Norway Cup
- PACES sports program in West Bank and the refugee camps in Lebanon.
As for the programs on the ground, please take some to watch the video as it will give you powerful images of Palestine and the children in the programs. http://vimeo.com/38566167
Please go to www.pacescharity.org to learn more details about PACES work and mission.