Uki Refugee Project community greeting/dinner for Ride for Education

REFUGEE advocate, humanitarian and photographer Muzafar Ali will ride through the Tweed next month as part of a 4,000km journey to raise funds for girls’ education in Afghanistan.

The Uki Refugee Project is hosting a community welcome for Ali, whose ride from Maleny to Adelaide aims to raise $250,000 for eight schools, 130 teachers and more than 2,000 students across seven countries.

Ali and his team will ride the Northern Rivers Rail Trail and visit local schools while in the region.

The ride coincides with Refugee Week, held from June 15 to 21, and aims to raise awareness about the critical situation facing women’s education in Afghanistan.

Ali worked as a UN political analyst before fleeing from the Taliban in 2012.

As a refugee in Indonesia with no rights to work or education, he co-founded the first refugee-led school in West Java.

In 2014, he helped establish Cisarua Learning, which has since grown into a holistic refugee support organisation.

“When we started our first refugee school in Indonesia with just $200, we never imagined it would grow into what it is today,” Ali said.

“This ride is about connecting with the communities who have supported us along the way and raising awareness about the critical situation facing women’s education in Afghanistan.”

Ali said his journey began with his father, who cycled two hours each day for seven years to take him to school through rain, hail and shine.

“His sacrifice gave me education, which became my lifeline.

“This ride connects my past to our shared future. From the underground schools in Afghanistan to our refugee-led schools in Indonesia, I’ve seen how education transforms lives.”

During a visit to Afghanistan in 2021, Ali witnessed the heartbreak of the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.

“I met young girls the same age as my daughter who begged for my help to continue learning,” he said.

“I looked into their eyes and made a promise: I will do whatever it takes. I’m alive for a purpose, maybe.”

Ali is no stranger to the region, having visited Murwillumbah in 2023 with his film Watandar, My Countryman, a moving documentary about the Afghan cameleers in Australia and their descendants.

“I was fortunate to be resettled in Australia with my family. My wife is now a teacher, and my daughter studies in Grade 8 and dreams of becoming a political leader to help Afghanistan.

“I feel a deep responsibility to those without these opportunities,” he said.

The communal dinner at Jessie McMillan Hall will include a short film screening and a Q&A with Ali and filmmaker Jolyon Hoff.

To find out more about the project and to join the community welcome on June 1, visit facebook.com/ukirefugeeproject