The Challenge

As war has continued to rage, Afghanistan’s educational institutions have been unable or unwilling to embrace sports education, even in locations beyond the reach of the sports-prohibitive Taliban. According to the United Nations, “Sport and play are human rights that must be respected and enforced worldwide; sport has been increasingly recognized and used as a low-cost and high-impact tool in humanitarian, development and peace-building efforts.”

Afghanistan have been deprived of sport’s profound benefits: increased self-esteem and empowerment, social support and inclusion, and opportunities for leadership and achievement. Even more urgently, sports can help keep girls safe from child marriage, allowing them to build a supportive environment, strengthened by social solidarity. This is no small detail in a country where nearly a quarter of all girls are married by age 15, and one half by age 18. 

The solutions we’re proposing

W4 Field Project Mountain2Mountain has implemented a pioneering project to promote female cycling throughout Afghanistan.

Our partner is supporting Afghanistan’s first women bicycle riders, who are part of the newly-formed National cycling team for girls, by providing training and coaching for the female cyclists, as well as raising funds to hire a minibus for the team's safe transportation to and from safe training roads in Kabul. Our partner also supports female cycling teams, including mountain biking teams, in other provinces by financing the purchase of bicycles, training, and safe transportation to and from safe training sites. 

The impact of giving

By giving to this program, you are offering Afghan girls and women the exceptional opportunity to participate in sports, which fosters self-esteem, confidence and a sense of inclusion. Your donation makes a powerful difference in the lives of Afghan girls and young women who live in a society fragmented by war and have few ways to express themselves safely or take up leadership roles.

Through the program, girls and women benefit from the inspiration of role models and are empowered to express themselves in independent, healthy ways, enabling them to become agents of change in their society. Together, we can support Afghan girls and young women and prepare them to take the road ahead, whether by bicycle, through leadership, or by shaping peaceful, gender-equitable communities.