I am running the 2024 Berlin Marathon in support of Free to Run, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women in war torn areas including Iraq and Afghanistan build leadership skills and find a sense of empowerment through running and physical fitness. Even with the evolving circumstances in Afghanistan, Free to Run has continued to operate indoors and support Afghan girls and women.

I traveled to Afghanistan multiple times in 2017 and 2018 to support U.S. government funded aid programs. While in Mazar-e-Sharif, a northern city that was often viewed as fairly progressive, I often ate my lunch with the Afghan women employed by the project, as the Afghan men and women were not allowed to eat together due to local custom. Over lunch I learned more about what it meant to be a woman in Afghanistan, and the limits that existed even under the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.. The team was shocked to hear that I was allowed to ride my bike to run errands or go outside for runs. Physical activity was not something that was encouraged, even for the more liberal women.

I also had the opportunity to support a project dedicated to building and supporting activists and civil society organizations to advocate for and advance women's equality and empowerment in Afghanistan. While working in operations, I was able to witness the advocacy efforts to implement the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law, an effort which is no longer relevant under the current regime.

I'm fundraising for Free to Run to continue to support the women who are still in Afghanistan that are no longer able to have the small freedoms that previously gained and for those in Iraq that are also fighting for their space in society.