Farzan Dalal, a Design for Change student from Midlothian is running 22 miles to raise money for refugees this June.
Edinburgh resident Farzan, age 30, has set himself the goal of covering 22 miles as part of the British Red Cross Miles for Refugees challenge, which is the equivalent of a journey across the English Channel.
For the month of June, anyone can take on one of six distances that highlight the life-risking journeys refugees are forced to take to reach safety.
Farzan, says he is taking part in Miles for Refugees for very personal reasons: “The refugee crisis is very close to my heart. People forced to leave everything they know to be home, in search of safety is heartbreaking but at the same time unfathomably courageous!
“In my home country, as a queer person in a closeted society, I have experienced continuous inner conflict. A fear of rejection, and a constant effort to maintain a front that hides my queer identity.
“It is exhausting, emotionally unfulfilling, and a looming fear for my safety.”
Farzan, who moved to the UK just before the coronavirus pandemic, added: “My experience does not at all equate to people fleeing homelands on account of conflict, oppression or climate change., I am highly privileged to be moving countries at my will, but I can still empathise.
“All I want is for more and more people to empathise and understand that home is not something we can take for granted. Some of us have to fight hard to find and make our own. Let us support and welcome those who need to do exactly that.”
Alex Fraser, Director of Refugee Support & Restoring Family Links for the British Red Cross, said: “People who have had to leave their countries due to war, persecution, extreme famine or devastating natural disasters have experienced the worst things in life. We have seen just how heart-breaking these journeys have been for families arriving in the UK.
“The British Red Cross has been calling for a kinder, more compassionate asylum system to support people who have been forced to leave their home behind and take dangerous journeys. We believe every refugee matters.
“A wave of people in the UK clearly care about people seeking refuge and asylum in the UK. Remarkably, we are seeing so many eager to help personally. By taking part in Miles for Refugees this June, you are showing the very best of humankind.”
The money raised will go towards the charity’s work supporting refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK.
With more than 6 million people forced to leave their homes in Ukraine this year, and ongoing crises in Syria and Afghanistan and around the world, standing with refugees is more important than ever.
British Red Cross teams are supporting people from Ukraine arriving at ports and airports in Scotland and throughout the UK.
Staff and volunteers are providing support through things like food, water, hygiene items, nappies, a hot cup or tea or coffee, and essentials to help people keep in touch, like SIM cards, mobile phones and chargers.
A welcome pack with essential information available in English, Ukrainian and Russian, about life in the UK, and one-off cash sum, provided via a debit card, to help people buy what they need when they arrive. We are also providing people with mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, if and when they need them.
To download our Spotify playlist created by some of the nation’s most loved celebrities in support of refugees, visit:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Tt81ffwh5w15fJS1caYZs?si=05aa3a20a21642e5&nd=1
To sponsor Farzan, visit https://miles.redcross.org.uk/fundraising/farzans-miles-for-refugees-22-mile-challenge
To sign up for Miles for Refugees visit miles.redcross.org.uk
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