Lyari girls from Lyari Girls Café organised first girls’ cycling race on Sunday morning with the slog of ‘Pollution Free Karachi’. Lyari Girls Cafe is first of its kind vocational training institute which has been promoting girl’s bicycling in Lyari.
The race was held at Mirza Adam Khan Road, newly renovated road near Lyari Expressway. To watch the race, family members of the cyclists were lined up the road
As many as 21 girls aged between seven and 25 participated in the race. Urooj Bisma, 22, was the winner of the race.
German Consul General Rainer Schmiedchen also participated in the race and encouraged the participants. Later he visited the Café and interacted with the members and students. He said, “Usually I try to go outside the Consulate to meet the people of Karachi. I am happy to interact with the people of Lyari, especially the members of the Lyari Girls Café.”
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Schmiedchen also distributed gifts amongst the kids along with his team in the end of the bicycle race.
“We have been waiting for this day for a long time,” said excited Rimsha Raheen, the cyclists’ coach. “It was a challenge for all of us to prove that the girls of Lyari are highly spirited and powerful. But finally, we did it.” Further, she added, “We would soon arrange another race – this time it would be outside Lyari, in Clifton.”
This race was to create awareness among people about pollution. Sehrish, a member of the café said, “We want to tell our brothers to use bicycles so dependency on fuel can be reduced.”
We do not have enough bicycles as the number of girls interested in it is increasing day by day, Sehrish explained. Most of the girls wanted to learn how to ride a bicycle for their personal use, she said, adding that many older girls were also showing interest in bicycling. “In the start, we did not even expect this kind of interest for cycling among females in Lyari.”
