Since the Taliban’s return to power several years ago, Afghan women and girls have been subject to increasingly oppressive restrictions. Women and girls cannot receive education beyond sixth grade, cannot access public spaces like parks and gyms, are barred from employment in most workplaces, and are forbidden from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a male guardian. The Taliban recently banned the sound of women’s voices in public.
The Linda Norgrove Foundation is a Scottish charity that gives grants to fund education, health, and childcare for women and children in Afghanistan. It was founded by John and Lorna Norgrove in honor of their daughter, Linda, an aid worker who died in Afghanistan. The Foundation came to our attention after their success in bringing 19 Afghan women to Scotland to complete their medical degrees.
We want to raise money to continue to support the concrete work the Linda Norgrove Foundation is doing to improve the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan. In training for and running this half marathon, we are reminded how fortunate we are to have the freedom to exercise outdoors and speak our minds about public affairs. We hope that our effort will help raise awareness about the fact that millions of Afghan women and girls are being denied those rights.
All money will go to the Linda Norgrove Foundation (https://lindanorgrovefoundation.org/).
