Recently, two university students from Singapore kickstarted a fundraiser — ‘Save-A-Pal’ — to assist Doctors Without Borders in Palestine.
The proceeds from the initiative will go towards helping medical teams deliver essential aid to those in need.
Using a mileage conversion method on the distance tracking app Strava, S$1 will be donated for every 100km run.
Besides running, participants can also choose to swim, cycle, walk, or hike to clock the distance.
Source: @save_a_pal on Instagram
Speaking to MS News, Luthfiyah Batrisyia Khan, 22, and Damien Lim, 23, shared that they wanted to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“Our goal was to create an inclusive initiative that would resonate with everyone,” they noted.
“With a shared passion for sports, we decided to promote a healthier lifestyle while highlighting the situation in Palestine,” said the pair.
While they felt that the situation was not frequently addressed, they also acknowledged that sharing one’s views openly in Singapore may lead to “repercussions”.
As such, they decided to use the mileage conversion as a “harmless” way to raise awareness and support the Palestinians.
To take part in the initiative, participants can join the ‘Save-A-Pal’ Strava group with a public account.
The account has over 1,700 members at the time of writing.
Participants who do not use Strava to clock their mileage must provide proof of their logs. These may come in the form of images with dates.
The students stated that they’d be donating the funds on a weekly basis.
The weekly drive will run from 12am on Mondays to 11.59pm on Sundays.
Luthfiyah and Damien told MS News that the response thus far has been “overwhelmingly positive”.
In their latest update, for the 3rd week of the initiative, 145 participants have contributed S$1,313 by ‘converting’ their mileage.
Source: @save_a_pal on Instagram
The students felt that it was heartening to observe people from all walks of life participate in the initiative, including those who do not work out often.
“It’s been inspiring to witness such unity firsthand through our initiative,” they said.
However, the pair also shared concerns about the sustainability of the program.
The students told MS News that they had initially planned to trial this program for a month.
If the initiative is unsustainable in the coming weeks, they might have to suspend the program until they find help or stop it completely.
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Featured image adapted from @save_a_pal on Instagram and Instagram.
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