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Cycling 4 Gaza Brings Cycle to U.S. This Weekend
2014 marks the 6th year since the founding of Cycling4Gaza. Since inception, they have organised five cycles that mobilised over 100 people worldwide and covered over 1,800 km across the UK, France, Italy, Jordan, Turkey and Germany. Through these efforts, Cycling4Gaza has raised over USD 1.12M for sustainable healthcare and education projects that provide critical support to vulnerable Palestinian communities. With the support of its cyclists, volunteers, and donors, Cycling4Gaza has positively impacted the lives of over 8,000 children and 3,000 family and community members in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps.
The 6 year long siege on the Gaza Strip has caused a chronic shortage of medical equipment and supplies and prevented children and their families from travelling freely into the West Bank or abroad to receive any urgent care and treatment. The situation has severely worsened following the recent military attacks on the Gaza strip. As of August 15th 2014, UN OCHA reported 459 children have been killed, 3,084 physically injured and 373,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support (PSS).
Cycling4Gaza has supported 14 projects in maternal and children’s health, early childhood education, mental and physical disability, psychological care, and training of medical staff through collaborations with two international NGOs working on the ground in the Gaza Strip; Medical Aid for Palestinians UK and the Welfare Association.
In 2013, Cycling4Gaza partnered with the PCRF for the first time to launch the REACH Gaza (Reaching Every Affected Child) project. REACH Gaza aims to improve & strengthen the severely underdeveloped healthcare system in Gaza, particularly when it comes to providing specialised surgeries for children.
Last year, our team of 39 cyclists biked from Hamburg to Berlin and raised USD 250,000 for REACH Gaza, which through the PCRF has treated 270 children as of today and a further 330 in the coming months.
This year, Cycling4Gaza’s international cycle will be the first cycle in the US, taking place on the 18th – 21st of September in continued support of REACH Gaza. Cyclists from all over the world will ride from Philadelphia to Washington DC over three days, in an effort to raise an additional USD 250,000 to enable the PCRF to treat, operate and care for the children in Gaza.
Ahmed Abu Nammous is an energetic and passionate 16 year old boy from North Gaza who was shot at the age of 14 by an Israeli sniper at the Erez border. The bullet hit right above his knee and his leg had to be amputated. As part of the PCRF’s ongoing endeavours in Gaza, they arranged for Ahmed to travel to Ohio to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. Upon his return, Ahmed was able to walk, run and go back to his daily routine. In an effort to thank the PCRF, raise awareness on what is actually happening in Gaza and inspire and motivate other innocent victims of war, Ahmed has chosen to join us on the 2014 Cycling4Gaza ride. When asked what he would like people to know he said “Think of the children of Palestine and help us get out of this conflict and end the siege on Gaza”.
Over 1,500 children a year can be supported through this project. REACH Gaza aims to alleviate the burden of the current healthcare situation in the Gaza Strip by providing accessible and necessary medical treatment to every child in need. To support these initiatives, please visit www.cycling4gaza.com.
Cycling 4 Gaza