In October 2016, I traveled to Afghanistan to run a marathon in support of Afghan women who were running for freedom and equality. At that time, there was hope that the fight for Afghan women’s rights was making some progress. That year, there were six women running in the marathon. I returned to Afghanistan to run the marathon in November 2018, when 24 Afghan women participated in the 42.2 kilometre race.
In August 2021, you may recall the Taliban took over the country once again. One of their first acts was the persecution of women and girls. Since then, girls have been excluded from secondary education, women have been further stopped from entering public places such as parks and gyms, and, most recently, women have been blocked from entering their university.
Free to Run is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to “Use outdoor sports to develop girls and young women’s leadership in areas of conflict.” I have supported this organization and a few weeks back, I received this message (the italicized text below) from Sarah Murray, the group’s executive director:
Dear Free to Run Supporter,
Over the past few weeks, the Taliban has made a series of announcements that roll back women’s rights in Afghanistan – including banning female staff of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from going to work. Free to Run stands in solidarity with the NGOs who are suspending their operations. However, we also realize that every time girls’ and woman’s rights are further constrained, the impact extends to the wider community. The needs of girls and women for support, especially related to mental and physical health, continue to increase, as the humanitarian crisis deepens.
After careful consultation with our local partners and young leaders, we have decided to CONTINUE our programming in Afghanistan – in a modified manner.
The young women who lead this work insist that we continue providing safe (indoor, home-based) fitness and mental health support to girls and other young women in their communities.
While we have to suspend centralized programming, we are adapting our modality of delivery to be largely virtual with a hyper-local, community outreach component.
Free to Run’s work is unfinished in Afghanistan. We hope you’ll continue to stand in solidarity with Free to Run.
We are so fortunate to live in Canada. As we start this new year, please consider reaching out and making a difference in the lives of these women and girls by donating at freetorun.org/donate.
Thank you and all the best for 2023.
© 2023 Martin Parnell
