NESTLED between a threatening separation wall and an Israeli settlement is a Palestinian girls’ football team, dreaming of London.

Thaslima Begum, from Ealing, describes the football team as a relative calm in the chaos that surrounds these girls’ lives in occupied Palestine.

On a recent trip to the region, with Camden-based charity CADFA, Thaslima was enchanted by the team’s ambition to go to London during the Olympics to play and meet other girls.

She returned to London, and started campaigning to raise money for the trip to happen.

Thaslima explained why she feels so strongly about the cause.

She said: “I grew up hopscotching down the streets of south Ealing.

“Some of my fondest memories include playing football with siblings and running around Walpole Park without a care in the world.

“The days were long and the opportunities endless.

“So meeting these girls and witnessing the difficulties they face at such a young age had a really profound impact on me.”

What she found in the town of Abu Dis, West Bank, was a wall of eight meters preventing the citizens from accessing hospitals and agricultural land without the arbitrary consent of the occupational forces.

This is clearly a fearful environment for the children who live in the town as 30 Palestinian children were killed in the West Bank in the last year alone.

The children in the area are not unfamiliar with the sound of assault rifles being battered against their front doors.

It is under these circumstances that a retired Palestinian footballer created the team early on this year to offer the girls of Abu Dis a place to be children once more.

The girls train bi-weekly and dream of the opportunity to play other girls their age in liberty.

They are optimistic about their future hoping to travel, work and live in peace.

This is why Thaslima and the CADFA charity are raising money to have the girls in London over the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Thaslima described what the opportunity would mean to the girls.

She said: “This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will allow them to demonstrate their passion and skills at an international level.”

She was shocked by the lack of movement allowed in occupied Palestine as entire villages are cut off by the wall from hospitals, schools and agricultural land needed to survive.

The restrictions imposed in Palestine jar with the freedom experienced in London.

A freedom that Thaslima is determined to let the football team get a taste of.

“London is the street corner of the world, where people of all nationalities gather to unite under one umbrella. It’s rich diversity offers the girls a unique chance to experience many cultures in one destination – one they would not otherwise have,” Thaslima explained.

They are still far from reaching their target fundraising amount of £20,000. Thaslima calls for anyone and everyone to donate whatever they can to making this hope a reality for the young girls whose only glimmer of hope is through football.

“We’ve made some progress, however still have a long way to go. Our social media following is growing by the day and we’ve attracted some mainstream publicity. However we are nowhere near to meeting our target and need all the help we can get,” pleaded Thaslima.

The visit would last two weeks and accommodation would be arranged by CADFA.

Tournaments and coaching are on the cards for these young girls as well as some sightseeing around London.

To donate and be in the chance of winning a signed photograph of a major footballer click here.

Find out more about the team on their Facebook page.

Images courtesy of Shaista Chishty, with thanks