Read below for Mohammad’s passionate plea

My name is Mohammad Zarour, I’m 35 years young, Co-founder of the Palestine Riders Cycling Movement since 2014. I worked as a project coordinator at PalTrade (a local NGO) for six years and the past three years I have been a freelance tour guide and cycling coach. While taking tourist groups into Amar’i Refugee camp in Ramallah, I befriended many kids that are passionate about bikes but don't have the infrastructure, equipment, resources nor access to suitable bikes to practice. I saw dozens of broken and old bikes that are not safe to ride being shared by several kids. I then discovered that 55 percent of Am'ari residents are below the age of 18 and the unemployment rate was 27% before the pandemic. The pandemic and the ongoing political unrest have significantly increased the unemployment rate and thus camp conditions have become more detrimental than ever. 

Why support the TBR?

This is why I am writing to you, to propose a cycling kids club that offers various training, workshops, and related cycling activities to enhance their physical and emotional wellbeing. At the minimum, they would hone their cycling skills and just have fun! This project will be a two-stage process.Stage one is to set up the cycling club in the Am'ari Refugee Camp for kids to enroll in various activities. The workshops would both be educational and cultural, they also serve as an escape from the everyday struggles and traumas of growing up in a refugee camp.  

This would provide an after-school activity for the kids to look forward to and would encourage them to do better in school, especially if their school attendance is a requirement. We plan on creating professional and consistent content for our very own Youtube Channel dedicated to showing off our Kids Cycling Club. This will be the first youtube channel showcasing cycling activities on an Arabic language platform, it will target Palestinian youth, as well as kids from all over the Middle East, to watch and connect. And we hope you follow along in our journey to establish this club and watch the kids as they grow and flourish through cycling:) 

Although we will begin in Am'ari Camp, we plan on reaching as many communities/schools/youth centers in the West Bank as possible. Stage two will acquire a mobile van allowing us access to rural communities of kids (outside of Ramallah) that wouldn’t normally have access to bikes or similar activities. We plan on implementing the copious workshops in areas most needed of life.

Our long-term goal is to reach Palestinian youth in the most despairing situations and implement a system of hope, escape, and most importantly, empowerment. 

I have gathered a committee of local volunteers offering various expertise, as well as an appropriate location in the camp to get started! If this sounds like something you can support, whether with your time, expertise, and/or sponsoring a kid, we would love to have you on board. Here are the following prerequisites to get this project rolling off the ground. 

How you can support

1. Sign up to LaunchGood’s automated donations and donate as little as $1 a day for ten days and this campaign will receive a boost from Launchgood! Sign up before 10th July and we get $50, before 14th July and we get $25. Just sign up using this link and share widely to friends and family: 

https://www.launchgood.com/TeamTBR

2. Donate as little as $1 to this campaign and help us win up to $5000 by taking part in the 24 hour challenge. Just remember to donate anytime between 00:00 and 23:59 on Saturday 17th July. Spread the word to all your friends and family by sharing this message and link: 

https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/tbr_supports_palestine_riders#!/

3. Donate directly to this campaign today and support Palestine Riders!

About The Big Ride

The Big Ride for Palestine has a ride event every summer where we focus on building solidarity and raising funds for a project for children in Palestine. This year, we are supporting Palestine Riders campaign to set up a cycling club for children in Palestine. Riders will be cycling from Bristol to London over 4 days with around 40 miles every day on all manner of bikes with riders from all backgrounds. We aim to be vocal and highly visible to traffic and pedestrians to maximise our impact. Show your support for our riders and help us support this important cause.