The El Sayed Foundation supports a charity cycling marathon for Gaza
in the UK
July 2010
The El Sayed Foundation supports a team of eight volunteer cyclists, taking part in the annual Manchester to Blackpool Cycle Ride on the 4th of July, 2010 raising funds for medical services in Gaza.
Lead by Manchester based Dr. Rafik Bedair, the team will cycle a distance of approximately 60 miles (just under 100km). Funds raised from the marathon will go towards course materials and medical supplies, and any remaining funds will go towards financing shelter for families whose homes were destroyed by the Israeli attacks in 2009, tens of thousands of whom are still homeless because of the restrictions on the import of building materials.
Gaza is a small coastal strip of land that is home to 1.5 million Palestinians (making it one of the most densely populated areas on the planet). Its borders with Israel and Egypt have been closed since June 2007. Among other things, this
restricts the entry of medical supplies and devices to the Gaza strip and deprives medical and paramedical staff of access to modern training. The following short film gives a snapshot of the effects of the blockade: http://www.map-uk.org/regions/opt/media/view/-/id/87/
After the recent events with the Freedom Flotilla, Egypt announced that it has opened its border with Gaza for humanitarian relief. The Arab Medical Union is currently seeking the necessary permits for doctors to enter the Gaza strip through Egypt to conduct training and support the medical services there. In cooperation with the El Sayed Foundation and Arab Medical Union, Dr. Bedair intends to make the trip to Gaza in July to run a course on Basic Support of Critically Ill Patients for medical staff there and to donate all medical supplies purchased for Gaza hospitals with the funds raised from the marathon.