RUN Hong Kong是一个非政府组织，旨在支援弱势难民，增强他们生命的韧度，并培养自力更生的能力，以创造更有希望的未来。组织以体育为跳板，以教育为基础，帮助难民在香港及其他地方创造既安全又有尊严的生活。RUN的主要关注点，是妇女和她们的孩子，她们当中大多数人都是为着世上一些最严重的冲突而逃离。超过70%的参与者，遭受过可怕的侵犯人权行为，包括酷刑、强奸、身体及精神上的虐待，或同时遭受这些侵犯。许多人都患有创伤后压力症候群（PTSD）、抑郁症、焦虑症或类似的症状。
来自非洲之角的Princess（化名）分享：「我到香港的时候仅十五岁，和十七岁的姐姐在一起。我们经历了很多，生活并不轻松。我们想寻找更好的未来，拥有更好的生活。但是当我们到达时，我们并没有找到想要的东西。在首两年，我们住在一个约有十至十五人的庇护中心里，但其实我们身心俱疲，感觉不到自己的存在。有一天，我们的律师问我们是否想去远足。我们问，远足是什么意思？她就向我们解释。起初，我们很害怕，我们对人感到很害怕，亦害怕出门。但她向我们保证，如果我们去远足，不会遇到什么问题的……我们远足的第一天，对我们来说是非常痛和辛苦。我们真的很喜欢这里的景色和美丽的地方，但是当我们回到家时，我们仍然感到很痛。我说：『我不想再去了。』但姐姐说：『我们必须再去，我们需要改变我们的生活，必须尝试结识更好的人。』所以我们又回去了，并继续远足。RUN帮助我能够信任其他人，并关心我们，这对于我作为一个难民女性，真的很重要……当我看到有一些人是可以信任时，对于在我生活中发生的事情，我愿意敞开心扉，并准备好谈论。」
RUN为城市中的难民提供远足、游泳和跑步的机会，并使用运动作为解决成人和儿童创伤后压力症候群的工具。该组织为一百七十六名受益者提供服务，所有人都受益于RUN的全人关顾模式，并同时获得教育和基本支援（医疗、住房、食品）。文献证明，恒常的锻炼能显着减少抑郁和焦虑，并对身心健康有正面影响。来自东南亚的Lynn（化名）说：「当我和朋友在大自然远足时，我对自己感觉更好，并再次对未来充满了希望。」现在，运动开始更广泛地被应用于支持流离失所的群体，因为它是「预防和治疗精神障碍、促进福祉和社会联系，以及培养社区意识的行之有效的策略」。RUN的参与者都表示，他们信心增强、身体健康得以改善、抑郁感减少，以及对未来更有希望。
如今，Princess已经和姐姐一起定居加拿大，在联合国难民公署和RUN的帮助下，开始了新的生活，并立志成为一名室内设计师。她说：「到RUN之前，如果有人在街上问我在香港做什么，我就试图撒谎说我是学生。我对于介绍自己是难民感到羞耻。但是RUN的工作人员告诉我，『不要为你是谁感到羞耻』。现在我会告诉人们我是难民──是被迫成为难民的，我没有这个选择。我不以成为难民为耻……因我已经不是六年前的我。现在我觉得精神和身体都很强壮……他们教晓了我作为少女时想学的东西──纵使明天你的境况不好，你仍然可以期待光明的未来。」
香港的四大远足径，把城市连接到美丽的户外空间。然而，要踏上第一步总是最难的。尤其是妇女，她们要面对很多障碍，无论是由于她们的文化、社会价值观还是育儿责任。但RUN透过创造安全的环境，帮助她们克服，让她们可以在RUN的中心见面，获得育儿支援和营养食品，并使用合适户外活动的装备。许多妇女起初都认为，自己永远无法征服山峰，但现在她们已经成为狂热的远足者。有些什至参加五至一百公里的比赛，成为远足领袖，更向工作人员表示，远足一点也不难。
在RUN成立的七年时间里，已建立了一个紧密的共同体，当中许多人已在美国和加拿大定居，他们都是在失去一切后，通过运动来为自己的生活重燃希望及重建家庭。大自然是不分你我，当我们一起远足时，国籍、经济机会和肤色都无关紧要。重要的是，我们可以一起携手同行。
笔按：欲了解更多 RUN Hong Kong 及其工作，
请浏览www.runhk.org 或 Instagram@runhongkong
作者为RUN Hong Kong联合创办人兼董事总经理
英文原文：
RUN Hong Kong is an NGO that supports vulnerable refugees to build resilience and nurture self-reliance for a more hopeful future. With sport as the springboard and education as the foundation, the organization helps refugees to create a life of safety and dignity, in Hong Kong and beyond. RUN’s main focus is on women and their children, most of whom have fled from some of the world’s most serious conflicts. Over 70% of the participants have suffered from horrendous human rights abuses, including torture, rape, physical and mental abuse or a combination of these. Many are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, or similar conditions.
Princess (pseudonym), who is from the horn of Africa, says that "When I arrived in Hong Kong, I was fifteen. I was with my sister, she was seventeen. We had been through a lot. It was not an easy life. We were looking for a better future, to have a better life. But when we arrived, we did not find what we were looking for. For the first two years, we lived in a shelter. There were about ten to fifteen people in the shelter. Mentally and physically we were not there. One day, our lawyer asked us if we wanted to go hiking. We said, ‘what do you mean by hiking?' So she explained what it meant. First, we were scared. We were scared of the people, scared to go out. But she promised us that nothing bad would happen to us if we went hiking… The first day we went hiking, it was very painful for us. We really liked the view and the beautiful place, but when we were back home, we were still in pain. I said, ‘I don’t want to go back there’, but my sister said, ‘We have to, we need to change our life, we must try and meet better people.' So again we went back and we continued to go hiking. RUN helped me to be able to believe and trust other people. RUN showed they cared about us. It really meant a lot to us, as a refugee and a woman... When I saw that I had some people I could trust, I opened up to what happened in our life and I was ready to talk about that..."
RUN provides access to hiking, swimming and running to refugees in the city, and uses sport as a tool to tackle PTSD for adults and children alike. The organization serves 176 beneficiaries, and all benefit from RUN's holistic approach, and get access to education and essential support (medical, housing, food) at the same time. The positive impact of regular exercise on well being and mental health is indeed well documented, as it reduces depression and anxiety significantly. "When I hike out in nature with my friends, I feel better about myself and can feel hope for the future again" says Lynn (pseudonym) from South East Asia. Physical activity is starting to be wider widely used to support displaced communities, as it is "a proven strategy for both preventing and treating mental disorders, for promoting well-being and social connection, and for fostering a sense of community". Participants at RUN all report increased confidence, better physical health, reduced feeling of being depressed as well as being more hopeful about the future.
Today, Princess has been resettled to Canada with her sister, and has started a new life with the help of UNHCR and RUN, and aims to become an interior designer. She says "Before going to RUN, if someone in the street asked me what I was doing in Hong Kong, I tried to lie and said I was a student. I was ashamed to say I’m a refugee. But [the staff at RUN] told me not to be ashamed of who you are. Now I tell them I’m a refugee and that I was forced to be a refugee, I did not choose this. I’m not ashamed to be a refugee… I am not the same woman that I was 6 years ago. Now I feel mentally and physically strong... They taught me what I wanted to learn as a young girl - if tomorrow you have a bad situation, you can still look forward to a bright future".
Hong Kong offers beautiful outdoor space that is close to the city through its four major hiking trails. However, the first step on these trails is the hardest to make. Women especially face barriers, whether due to their culture, social values or childcare duties. RUN helps them to overcome these barriers by creating a safe environment where they can meet at RUN's center, have access to childcare support and nutritious food, and use the outdoors equipped with the right gear. Many of the women who initially thought that they would never be able to conquer the hills, have become avid hikers. Some are even tackling races within a range from 5 to 100 kilometers, have become hiking leaders and will let staff know when hikes are too easy.
Over RUN's 7 year existence, the organization has been able to create a tight knit community, with many now resettled in the US and Canada, who use sport to bring back hope in their lives and create a family again, after having lost everything. Nature does not judge, and when we hike together, country of origin, financial opportunities and skin colour do not matter. What matters is that we can hold each other's hands and be together.
For more information about RUN Hong Kong and the work they do, check out https://www.runhk.org/ and social media @runhongkong on instagram https://www.instagram.com/runhongkong/
(This article was written by Virginie Goethals, Co-Founder and Managing Director of RUN.)
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