When I heard that Sarah Porter had been pulled out of the Spine Challenger South for safety reasons I was intrigued. When I learned it was because she received death threats for running in aid of women in Afghanistan, I knew I wanted to talk to her; if she couldn’t run for those women, at least we could share her story and the story of those girls.

Here’s some text from Sarah’s GoFundMe; please do help if you. The terrorists may have forced Sarah to stop running, but don’t let them stop her getting their message out.

What it means to be a young woman in Afghanistan in 2025.

* 25% surge in child marriages since 2021

* With girls, as young as 7 years old, being sold into marriages

* ⁠Nearly 80% of Afghan school-age girls are currently deprived of their right to secondary and higher education.

* Women’s participation in the formal workforce is down to about 5%

* Nearly 60% of Afghan women felt unsafe leaving the house without a mahram.

* ⁠Talking in public is prohibited as is the sound of a woman’s voice

How your donation can help.

From coordinating aid and travel documentation through to developing new humanitarian uses of AI, your donations are vital to starting the journey to safety and the beginning of a dream becoming a reality.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sarah-porter-spine-race-2026