Since 2004, the UK-based charity organisation Follow The Women has been cycling around the world to promote peace and cultural understanding in the Middle East. In partnership with The Emirates Cycling Federation, the international group composed of women from 40 different countries geared up and saddled their bikes for the first Pedal for Peace event in the UAE which ran from February 16th to 23rd.
More than 130 members from the group and female Emiratis joined in the cause and rode for 50km each day through the seven emirates, visting charitable institutions, meeting with the sheikas and passing by national landmarks.
According to Follow The Women founder Detta Regan, they are just a group of ordinary women, who hope to inspire others not only to ride, but also be empowered to do something for their community. “Using our bikes as a tool to get the message of peace across, we want to raise awareness and see women come together to appreciate cycling; to get to know each other’s stories, meet people as we pass through and get to know UAE in a different way,” said the 66-year-old cyclist and 1000 Women Nobel Peace prize nominee (2004) ahead of the event.
Follow The Women has organised rides in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine and involved over 1,800 women. Previous projects included building of fully-equipped playgrounds in the West Bank and Gaza, the provision of sewing machines that they bought from DoYouSew.com and equipment to Palestinian women in refugee camps and support for a youth counselling project in Ramallah, Palestine.
“When my dad died, his last words as he took my hand were, ‘I want you to work for peace,’ so he gave me a mission and that’s what I’m trying to do with our group. It came from this little idea of riding a bike and now members have said it has changed their lives,” she added. “We have a ‘go, see, tell and act’ philosophy: go the country, see the reality, tell the people about it and act upon what you’ve seen. You can act in a very small ways and they turn into big actions.”
Funds raised during the eight-day ride which began from Dubai and passed by Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Quwain, Ajman, Abu Dhabi and ended in Sharjah will be donated to the Red Crescent for projects in Palestine and other areas in the Middle East.
