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27 Days to Go

Zara Hannoun —  August 22, 2013

27 days remain before 45 cyclists from across the globe come together in Germany to cycle for a cause, the #REACHGaza project.

These 45 inspired and passionate individuals will be pushing through 373 km of cycling over 3 days from Hamburg to Berlin, and one of the things that will keep them moving forward is the impact each of these people will have on supporting the children in Gaza.

Cycle Route
The REACH Gaza project in partnership with #thePCRF and aims to treat every child in Gaza in need of vital medical care transforming the provision of healthcare for children in Gaza, and each km cycled will help get us one step closer.

Support the wonderful efforts of these cyclists by:

– Share: Help us raise awareness by sharing our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Email..etc
Donate
– Volunteer: Contribute directly on the ground or through various activities. Email us on info@cycling4gaza.com to sign up
– Follow: @Cycling4Gaza on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
– Hashtag: #Cycling4Gaza, #thePCRF, #REACHGaza, #C4G2013 on any information you feel is relevant

Thank you Sho Cho Facilities Management Services (SCFMS) for their generous support as Cycling4Gaza’s Hero sponsor for the 2013 Cycling Challenge. SCFMS’s contribution has not only helped increase global awareness about the current situation in Gaza but has also given children living in Gaza access to their basic human rights. SCFMS’s sponsorship has positively impacted the lives of children in Gaza in need of vital medical care through the REACH Gaza project in partnership with the PCRF.

SCFMS Logo

A brief note on SCFMS and their visionaries:

Sho Cho Facilities Management Services (SCFMS) two Principles, Raëd Dabbous and Hiba Kosta, both have long-term success with some of Dubai’s most prominent restaurants, Sho Cho Japanese restaurant and lounge, Flooka Mediterranean seafood and Loca  authentic Mexican cuisine, all operating at Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa. Chez Sushi by Sho Cho is a unique, casual and fun Japanese sushi concept based in the heart of Dubai. At Chez Sushi you are in charge! You pick the ingredients, garnish, dressing and watch our team roll! We offer online ordering and a unique “let’s roll” build your own sushi feature.SCFM

Principle Raëd Dabbous is a successful businessman and restaurateur in Dubai, and the long-term success of his establishment Sho Cho is no accident. In addition to his vast experience as a restaurant owner and operator, Raëd has gained a reputation as one of Dubai’s premier fishermen. It is well known to customers at Sho Cho that they may be, at any time, eating fresh fish that was actually caught that morning by the owner.

SCFM Principle and Executive Chef, Hiba Kosta has made a name for herself in some of London’s best known and most successful restaurant kitchens. Both Raed and Hiba, due to their international backgrounds, Raed in finance and the food industry, and Hiba as a Chef in Europe, have made their concepts winning formulas.The SCFM team has the experience and the personnel to create a successful restaurant with long-term viability. The unique combination of talent, along with a true passion for food and service, makes our team the best qualified for a restaurant project of this caliber.

For more details on SCFMS check out Facebook and Website pages for:

Sho Cho’s, Loca, Flooka and Chez Sushi

Click here for more details on REACH Gaza.

And if you would like to support our cause:

Share: Help us raise awareness by sharing our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Email..etc
Donate
Volunteer: Contribute directly on the ground or through various activities. Email us on info@cycling4gaza.com to sign up
Follow: @Cycling4Gaza on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Hashtag#Cycling4Gaza#thePCRF#REACHGaza#C4G2013 on any information you feel is relevant

#‎Cycling4Gaza‬ in the wake of the 2009 war on Gaza rose from just 4 passionate individuals into a group of 27. In 2013 #Cycling4Gaza will now cycle in Germany with our largest group yet, totaling 45 cyclists‪#‎C4G2013‬. We will be cycling in support of the ‪#‎REACHGaza‬ project, headed up by ‪#‎thePCRF‬.

Thank you everyone for your unwavering support and we will continue to do the best we can to continue our efforts to help improve education and healthcare in Gaza.

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Even though our 2013 cycling challenge registration is officially closed; there are still a number of ways you can help support the #REACHGaza project in partnership with #thePCRF:

Donate
– Volunteer (email us on info@cycling4gaza.com)
– Follow: @Cycling4Gaza on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
– Share: Help us spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, Email..etc! It will all help!
– Hashtag: #Cycling4Gaza, #thePCRF, #REACHGaza, #C4G2013, #C4G

The REACH Gaza Project

Zara Hannoun —  July 16, 2013

Sharing a story from #thePCRF:

The New Zealand Mission Surgery Team preformed pediatric cardiac surgery at the European Hospital in Gaza. After two days, the children are all recovering well from their life saving surgeries.

New Zealand Medical Mission PCRF

Soundos Qudah, a 6 month year old boy from Khan Younis was one of the children cared for, and is now recovering wonderfully.

Soundos Qudah

As part of the #REACHGaza project; a number of surgical medical mission teams will be working in various hospitals around Gaza. Each mission is specialized and will cover one of the following areas:

  1. pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery
  2. pediatric urology and pediatric surgery
  3. pediatric orthopedic and spine surgery
  4. plastic and reconstructive surgery
  5. maxillofacial surgery
  6. pediatric neurosurgery
  7. ophthalmology

Each of these missions will help provide a future for the children living in Gaza.

Support #Cycling4Gaza and #thePCRF in this wonderful initiative by sharing our stories on Facebook and twitter (@cycling4gaza) and help increase awareness about the current healthcare in Gaza. You can also contribute directly to the project by clicking here.

3 days left until the end of registration for the 2013 cycling challenge.

Sign up now and be part of a unique and exciting initiative with the PCRF; the REACH Gaza project.

Don’t forget to follow us on instagram (Cycling4Gaza) and # us on all your C4G related pictures.

UK Team Training

The 2013 Cycling Challenge Deadline has been extended up to the 12th of July.
2012 Cycle

Sign up now and join the ranks of one of the funnest most fulfilling cycles; moving forward for a great cause, #REACHGaza.

2013 Cycling Challenge is Underway! Limited places available so sign up NOW!

Germany 2013 Registration Pack

Be part of this exhilarating initiative to support the children in Gaza, trust us when we say there is no feeling quite like it.

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A word from Cycling4Gaza co-founder, Tamara Ben-Halim

Arrival into Istanbul

Dear friends,

This time four years ago, a group of friends in London were frantically recruiting cyclists, organising fundraising events, training on their bikes, and embarking on guerrilla poster-hanging operations around the city. Our mission was to promote an international cycle in support of emergency healthcare work in the Gaza Strip following the 2008-2009 military offensive.  Within weeks, our modest effort had evolved into a 27-strong team of people from all over the world coming together in support of Gaza’s population. Over 3 days in July 2009, we cycled 320km from London to Paris and collectively raised over £90,000 for MAP UK ’s healthcare projects in the region.

Continue Reading…

Why Germany?

Zara Hannoun —  June 11, 2013

The choice to end our 2013 cycle in Berlin comes largely to remind our cyclists, supporters, and donors that a 700 Km long separation wall still stands today at a flight’s distance from Berlin’s historical Wall. As was the case for Berliners not long ago, Palestinians impacted by the Separation Barrier in the West Bank are restricted in their freedom of movement marginalising their access to educational and healthcare services as well as directly affecting them economically and socially. We have precisely chosen the Brande-burger Tor as our ending point in Berlin for the cycle for its significance to the European example of unity and peace.

brandenburgertor (8)

Cycling for peace and humanity

tamara —  November 19, 2012

Join us this Saturday 24th November at 11.15am, 10 Downing Street, for a mass cycle through London in support of Gaza as the violence on its people continues to escalate. We will be cycling alongside an organised peaceful march from Downing Street to High Street Kensington.

Through cycling, we are trying to convey a message of peace and humanity to the world, to remind people that Palestinians in Gaza also deserve the right to a peaceful existence. We hope to see in our lifetime a peaceful Gaza, one that is not separated from the rest of Palestine, where people no longer have to fear death and destruction, can move freely, and are able to live a life of quality and dignity. Until then, we will keep cycling.

We invite you to join us in our efforts – wherever in the world you are. Get in touch with us on cycling4gaza@gmail.com if you also want to cycle for Gaza.

The Cycling4Gaza team wishes that MAP’s Primary Trauma Care project we are supporting this year would not need to exist in Gaza in the coming months and years. But Israel’s recurrent assaults mean that Palestinian doctors and civilians need to be equipped with the necessary skills to help prevent death and disability when people are severely injured. Since the beginning of Israel’s assault last week, over 450 Palestinians have been wounded.

You can:

Find out more about MAP’s Trauma Care Project.

Contribute to MAP-Cycling4Gaza’s three projects.

Contribute directly to MAP’s emergency response in Gaza.

Thank you for your support.

Adnan, one of our cyclists from 2011, shares with us a unique insight into Gaza in the past and present, capturing his childhood years as he grew up under occupation.

Read the published article on Electronic Intifada.

September 2012.

This was my third visit to Gaza, after having visited many interrupted times throughout the past 23 years. I left Gaza at the age of 16 heading to Seattle, Washington, 2 years into the first intifada of 1987. Being a Gazan has always been a challenge, a challenge for its residents, natives, refugees and for its lovers too. Gaza has its magical spell, once you are there for an extended period of time, you can get emotionally absorbed by its coastal easygoing attitude and its softness on strangers, making it very easy to call it home, just like my dad did. And I happen to be a victim of the same spell.
Continue Reading…

A universal story

tamara —  October 30, 2012

It finished with 40 people riding into Istanbul amid Bayram (Eid) traffic, chants, beeping horns and shouts of support. 33 of us had just tackled 300 kilometres of mountainous Turkish terrain, starting in Bandirma on the Marmaris sea, onto Çanakkale, Tekirdag, and finishing in Istanbul. This was by far the toughest of all four Cycling4Gaza challenges. Despite our tour guide John’s best attempts to make us believe that we would be cycling on relatively flat roads for the most part, we soon discovered that his definition of flat was any kind of hill that wasn’t a full-fledged mountain. We tackled hill after hill after hill, reaching an elevation of over 1,230 meters on the first day, gasping for breath at the top of some of the most beautiful landscapes we had seen.

Perhaps the most memorable night was the first one. Continue Reading…

Cycling into Istanbul

tamara —  October 28, 2012

Down but not out

tamara —  October 27, 2012

An extremely challenging two days so far. Hilly terrain, rough roads, and a strong midday sun mean we are more tired, scratched and bruised than perhaps any other cycle before. We have been consoled by some breathtaking views, the spirit of teammates spurring everyone along, but above all by reminding us of why we’re doing this. We came as separate individuals with very different reasons for being here but in such a short space of time we’ve been so inspired by each other that we’ve quickly become friends.
More from us later today as we finish the remaining 110km ino Istanbul.