Please join us in raising money to support Rukhsar Habibzai, a female Afghan cyclist who recently fled Kabul fearing for her life.
TWENTY24 Cycling team is pleased to welcome Rukhsar as a development team member for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. We are raising funds under the Tam Cycling 501c3 umbrella. Every donation will go to helping Rukhsar restart her life in America. Funds raised through this effort will specifically support housing costs, food, utilities, clothing, books, and tuition.
Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.
This fundraising effort is not to fund a cycling team—it is to support a young woman who left her country with nothing and has dreams and aspirations to be the best athlete, student, and leader that she can be—to be an asset to her community and new country and to continue her humanitarian work.
Rukhsar Habibzai was born in 1998 in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. She completed her schooling in 2015 at Fatima al Zahra, the local school in the Ghazni province. As a child, she dreamt of the day when girls too could ride bicycles in the beautiful streets of her country without the fear of any physical or emotional abuse; the day where girls too could pursue the careers of their choice rather than marrying into the trivial jobs forced upon them by the male-dominated society. In 2012 she joined a local cycling team with the same dream.
With unshakable perseverance and commitment to her dream, Rukhsar became a valuable member of the Afghanistan National Cycling Team in 2014. In 2016, she placed first among 30 participants in a cycling competition from Kabul to Paghaman, marking her second participation as a national team cyclist. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Rukhsar with three certificates of achievement and a medal accompanied by a certificate of appreciation for her hard work.
Rukhsar and her teammates were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. They received 118 positive votes from the Italian parliament for their unstoppable endeavors for women’s rights and for setting an example for women around the world to combat oppression against women.
She has inspired many girls to take a stand for their rights and she continues to do so. Her industriousness, vibrant nature, humility, kindness, and warrior-like spirit has helped her find her place in her personal life and in society as a true leader. She has participated in many national and international conferences to leverage her seat for the voice of her peers, and to draw attention to the issue of violence against women. In addition to being a successful sportswoman, Rukhsar studied dentistry at Cheragh Medical University, with the foresight that this will help her further give back to her community.
Rukhsar shared one of her greatest ambitions:
“I want our government to support the presence of women in sports so we can participate in the World Championships and bring gold home and showcase the physical and mental strength of an Afghan woman to Afghanistan and to the whole world. I want to tell them that a woman is not weak, and that success can be achieved by any gender.”
Her favorite quote is by Theodore Roosevelt:
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground."
The funds will go to her re-settlement and education. Make a donation here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-femaleafghan-athlete
More information about Tam Cycling: To develop and foster a national amateur women's athletic team. Tam Cycling is committed to empower women for athletic advancement. The organization provides services, leadership and opportunities for female athletes.
