DAMASCUS, Syria — Wael, 12, left his house in the city center of Damascus at 7 a.m. Dec. 19 on his bike and headed to the suburb of Dummar, 10 kilometers (3.7 miles) west of Damascus, braving the cold and the challenging road to participate in the charity marathon called "Badna Nerkod La Basma” (We Want to Run for Basma). The marathon was organized in an effort to support children suffering from cancer and to raise funds for the BASMA Association, which looks after cancer patients.

Wael, along with 2,000 others from all age groups, assembled at the starting line in front of Rusty Restaurant, which helped organize the first marathon of its kind in cooperation with several civil organizations and associations in Damascus. Because of the Syrian war BASMA Association is no longer able to provide enough care for all children suffering from cancer due to the lack of material resources and medicine, and the absence of governmental support. The marathon’s aim was to collect donations.

Al-Monitor met with Firas Inaya, the man who had come up with the idea for the marathon. He said, “BASMA Association has made many contributions to children with cancer, and now it is our turn to support BASMA in these tough circumstances that Syria is going through. This is where the idea of the marathon came from, and we have invited everyone to participate via social media.”

Inaya added, “We managed to fulfill two goals with this event. Our main goal is the humanitarian one, which is to collect donations through the participation fee of 500 Syrian pounds [$3] per person. Second, we managed to create an entertaining activity that involved residents from across Damascus, despite all the military and political circumstances rocking Syria, to prove the Syrians’ determination to live.”