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My birthday is coming up and I feel sad because I can’t do anything special in lockdown. I also won’t be celebrating my birthday (or even Eid at the end of Ramadan) with all of my children this year.

To make my 52nd birthday special this Ramadan I would like to raise £520 to plant 52 olive trees in Palestine🇵🇸, because every day Palestinian people are suffering from poverty and occupation, and they need our help.

Through years of conflict and occupation, over 2 million Palestinian olive trees have been uprooted and destroyed. Olive trees are a bountiful blessing for the people of Palestine, a vital source of income for poor farmers and it only costs £10 to plant one olive tree. 

Even a simple donation could help me reach my fundraising goal, InSha’Allah 

These olive trees would be planted in the Jordan Valley, Jenin, Salfeet, Jerusalem, Hebron and Tulkarem to improve the lives of poor Palestinian farmers and their families. 

A little olive tree seedling has the power to change lives - Big things really do come in small packages- Alhamdulillah!

The fruit they bear provides Sunnah food and the Prophet (saw) himself said: 

“Eat the olive and use it as an ointment as it comes from a blessed tree.” (Tirmidhi)

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I am running five half marathons to raise £5,000 for the people of Palestine with Penny Appeal  

After our visit to Palestine to run 10k last year, Shaf and I have decided to return to conquer the half marathon in 2020 and our daughter Sameen is coming with us, Insha’Allah. Despite our struggle to run through the uneven, hilly and rocky streets of Bethlehem last time, we are ready to take on our new challenge!

#NailaRuns4Palestine  #NailaRunsWithFamalam

How does one deal with the emotional aspects after visiting, when you witness the injustice and oppression in person, when you feel suffocated and find it hard to breathe...

You go back with more aid for Palestinians who have faced injustices for many years. You raise more awareness by visiting the refugee camp in Bethlehem. You raise more funds to provide clean water in Gaza. You raise more money for rooftop gardens as the Palestinians don’t have enough land to live in let alone to grow their own crops. 

Even though the thought of running in Bethlehem makes me nervous and out of breath, I am determined to go back, visit the refugee camp, meet the Palestinians we met last year and assure them that we’re here for them, with the help of Penny Appeal. 

My first visit to Palestine affected me deeply and this year I know it will affect me even more so.....

Here are the 5 races I will be taking part in to raise £5,000 Insha’Allah 

1. Robin Hood Half Marathon 29/09/19✔️
2. Leicester Half Marathon 06/09/19✔️
3. Birmingham Half Marathon 13/09/19✔️
4. The Big Half 2020 on 1st of March ✔️
5. Palestine Half Marathon 27/03/20 (with Shaf & Sameen IA)🚨 cancel🚨 
6. Coventry Half 05/04/20 ( As the Palestine marathon got cancelled so to complete  the challenge we are running the Coventry  half marathon IA ) 🚨Cancelled 🚨
7. Looking for another half marathon to complete the challenge IA 🤲🏻

At least 1.9 million Palestinians are constantly experiencing violence, conflict, denial of access to employment, among other threats. Palestinians have very limited access to basic essentials such as food and water, and vulnerable households struggle daily to cope with the prolonged nature of the crisis. 

I am fundraising for Penny Appeal's Love Palestine campaign which will support the following programmes:

 - Distribution of food parcels to families living with chronic food insecurity 

- Empower Palestinian Farmers to expand their olive farms and build a sustainable living

- Build rooftop gardens for women to provide a sustainable source of income and crop

- Provide essential aid such as clean water, food & medical care in the Gaza Strip

*Shaf, Sameen and I are paying all personal expenses for ourselves, e.g Race entries, flights, accommodation etc not from the donations made by others.*