COMMUNITY
The Climb To Heal
By Sarah Al Motairi Selected images courtesy of Ghalia Farzat and Zahra Shikara
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QH had the pleasure of speaking with Qatar’s very own moutaineers. Amina Ahmadi (Bahraini/Qatari), Ghalia Farzat (Syrian), Haneen Al Oraidi (Palestinian), Haya Al Ghanim (Qatari), Mohammed Gamar (Canadian/Libyan), Shaima Al Tamimi (Yemeni), Una Seth (Indian), and Zahra Shikara (Iraqi/British) spent New Year’s Eve atop a noble cause: summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in support the of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).
s we sat in the lobby of The Torch, I met with five of the eight climbers: Amina, Ghalia, Haneen, Shaima and Una. Their charismatic personalities beamed as we began the interview and a sense of support and commitment towards one another filled the air. They were united by a common cause: PCRF.
addressing the medical and humanitarian needs of the Palestinian youth. There are currently a number of chapters, from the West Bank, to Gaza, to Lebanon, to Jordan, to the U.S., all bias-free and fighting for a greater cause: the healing of the human race. I think Una said it best, “We are all human beings but the PCRF is human.”
Ghalia Farzat shared the impactful story on how the PCRF came to be, “In the early 90’s, [U.S. journalist] Steve Sosebee was on assignment in Palestine,” she says.”He encountered a child who was injured. Steve felt helpless, realizing he needed to find a way to heal these young children. He decided to take full responsibility for this young child, flying the child out to Ohio, taking care of all medical expenses. He became one of the first host families, taking full responsibility for a child in need."
I began by asking the obvious first question: “What inspired you to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?” The girls smiled as they looked at each other, then Ghalia said, “I was at a time in my life where many challenges came my way. I was looking for an out, something to impact me deeply. I remember watching a video of the late Marwa Fayed, the young woman who inspired the Marwa Fayed’s Toy Run after her passing. Her video spoke to me about Arab women, empowering ourselves and stepping outside of our comfort zones.” Ghalia has experienced many travel adventures but was looking for something with meaning, a deeper cause, “I was inspired by the children who were treated by the PCRF and went on to climb
Together, Steve and his late wife, Huda Al Masri, started the PCRF, providing a transparent, registered, non-political, non-profit organization
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