Taawon UK and Taawon US launch Move for Palestine

We’ve launched a UK-wide challenge inviting people to run, walk, wheel, swim or cycle a distance of their choosing — and raise sponsorship for orphaned children in Gaza.

It’s the most natural thing in the world. You lace up, head out the door, and for a while you’re flying.

In Gaza, that freedom doesn’t exist. Movement is restricted by military lines, physical barriers and closed zones. Access to the sea is prohibited. For most of us, moving is simply part of the day — a run before work, a swim at the weekend, a walk to clear the head.

So we’re asking you to put yours to work.

Move for Palestine invites you to set a personal movement challenge and raise sponsorship while you complete it. You choose the activity — running, walking, wheeling, swimming, cycling, hiking — and you choose the distance and the pace.

Two challenges are built into the campaign. The first is 41 kilometres: the length of the Gaza Strip from north to south. The second is 365 kilometres, one for every square kilometre of Gaza. Many people will set their own target instead, and that is entirely the point. There is no minimum, no registration fee, and no set finish date.

Where the money goes

Everything raised supports NOOR, Taawon’s orphan care programme in Gaza.

More than 58,000 children in Gaza have lost at least one parent, according to UNICEF. Each day, more join them.

NOOR provides food, healthcare, schooling, psychosocial support and social care for each child until they turn eighteen. We are working to support 20,000 children to adulthood.

How to take part

It takes about ten minutes to get started, and everything you need can be found on our Move for Palestine campaign page. Set your challenge and create a free fundraising page on JustGiving, then connect Strava if you’d like your distances to log automatically. Complete it at your own pace, and ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you.

Clubs, societies and workplaces can set up a team, so members fundraise individually while everything adds up to one shared total.

Whether you are one person or a club of two hundred, there is a way to take part.

For those who can’t. For those who must.