Growing up in Lebanon, Racha Kalot organized her first marathon by the age of ten. “I marked the course around my school. Each of my classmates ran a leg of the race until all 26 miles were complete.” She also had a great passion and talent for basketball. She went on to play basketball professionally in Lebanon and had an illustrious ten-year career as the playmaker and captain of her team.

In 2009, the U.S. Embassy appointed Racha as the Project Manager for their NGO, SAFE Association, a basketball program designed to reach some of the most remote villages in Lebanon. Racha trains and also facilitates discussions around life skills development and conflict resolution. She also works with children with physical and learning disabilities as a psychomotor therapist, and conducts basketball camps for young girls and their mothers as part of her Change for Exchange project.

Moreover, Racha established partnerships with KAFA Violence and Exploitation, a feminist organization aimed at fighting systemic discrimination, and Step Ahead, an organization that develops training programs for athletes. Racha is currently working to implement “Turning Disability into Ability” to provide opportunities for girls to play alongside each other and participate in mentoring and conflict resolution sessions.