Barry & Sanaa Run the Tokyo Marathon for Refugees

Update 9/16: We're currently at $2,735 including Venmo donations!

To our friends, family, and colleagues,

We are excited to be selected by Japan for UNHCR as charity runners for the 2024 Tokyo Marathon! This is an organization mandated by the United Nations to help refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The funds we raise together will be used to support young refugee children in countries all over the world so that they can apply themselves to sports and study in a safe environment. This will help improve school attendance, improve learning environments, and improve sports facilities for the children.

As people who have heard firsthand stories of refugees here in the US, this cause is close to our hearts. We became athletes as teenagers and understand the importance of sports as a part of emotional and mental development, so it saddens us that more than half of refugees across the world are children under 18. We want to contribute toward creating a safe and cohesive community for refugees around the world.

Any donation you're able to contribute, no matter how big or small, would mean the world to us.

Peace and love as always.

-Barry Oshiba and Sanaa Ounis