We recently spoke to Qais Alamdar who cycled 3,500km from Germany to Portugal to raise money for ACAA, specifically in the hope of supporting women in Afghanistan. We discussed the challenges of a cycle of this magnitude, the crisis in Afghanistan, and his plans for the future.
Qais’ 6 week expedition took him through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Spain, and tested him both physically and mentally. Cycling roughly 100 km per day, Qais was forced to be flexible and patient, having to readjust his plans to ensure he could complete the entire journey.
When I asked Qais what the biggest challenge of this mammoth journey was, he told me that the cycling was the easy part, it was the mental process that was difficult. Having trained for two months before he set off in April, Qais was physically ready and his route was planned. However, he still doubted whether he would be able to finish the cycle. Whilst his family and friends told him they believed in him, he knew that people had doubts. It was only when he had completed the first day of cycling that these doubts went away. Nonetheless, the journey was hard and affected by unpredictable weather and unreliable terrain. In the process, Qais learnt a lot, saying that he had to be “flexible, present, and patient”.
“Even if you don’t believe in your ability to do something, just do it”.
Qais’ goal in his expedition was to raise awareness, as well as money, for women in the Ghor, Parwan, and Logar provinces in Afghanistan. Qais chose to focus on these regions as they are some of the poorest in the country but are often under-represented by fundraising campaigns that address large scale catastrophes across the country. Through his cycle, Qais raised close to £1,600 which will be distributed to roughly thirty women via the support of ACAA volunteers on the ground. The women who Qais and ACAA seek to help have often lost their husbands in war or due to arrest or detainment. As a result of this and the restrictions placed on women’s employment by the Taliban they cannot support their families financially, and are therefore in need of donations like these.
Qais said the support of the ACAA had been central for this project, and allowed him to get money to those on the ground. Qais described himself as a “long term friend” of the charity for the past seven or eight years. It is rewarding to see long term partnerships like this one benefit those in Afghanistan.
More broadly, Qais and I discussed how we can raise more awareness about the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan. Currently, the news is full of stories about growing tourism in the country but issues of starvation and humanitarian crisis are under-covered. Qais believes that it is important to highlight particular moments and incidents that affect the wider population of Afghanistan. By focusing on these specific issues, such as gender apartheid, in particular the ban on schools for women and girls for nearly three years now, we are able to advocate for the rights of those affected. When I asked him whether he felt raising money or raising awareness was more important at this time, he said that both are paramount. Raising awareness means that people understand where their donations are going and how they may help those in Afghanistan.
Qais is already planning his next fundraising campaign, hoping to take on a long hike in the next year to raise money for girls’ education. We at ACAA look forward to supporting him in this journey and continuing to work alongside others who advocate for the rights of Afghans.
Written by Scarlett Summers, Political Communications Intern