‘It seemed like an adventure:’ Refugee women learn to cycle

ATLANTA -- It took Maryam Ayam 35 years and a move to the U.S. to sit on a bike saddle for the first time.

Growing up in Afghanistan, Ayam watched her brothers be gifted bikes and go riding with their friends. But it was frowned upon for girls to cycle – or do much of anything outside the home – so she never learned.

That changed on a recent Saturday when Ayam joined roughly 20 other immigrant and refugee women in a free group biking class in Decatur, Georgia, organized by the Atlanta-based Refugee Women’s Network.

The biking program is the latest offshoot of a pandemic-era initiative meant to boost fitness among refugee women and keep at bay the social isolation that newcomers often face, all while helping participants become more familiar with greater Atlanta. The fitness push began in 2021 with group hikes, and gradually grew to encompass swimming lessons, paddling, and now biking.

“There’s a lot of need for social connection. And that’s what a lot of our health outreach is based on. It’s community, it’s helping people feel a sense of belonging,” said Temple Moore, community health program manager at the Refugee Women’s Network. “And the other piece is also a sense of capability … You can do hard things and, in that challenge, feel not only physically but also emotionally a sense of accomplishment. And that’s really important when we’re talking about trauma recovery.”

Moore also hopes that helping refugee women feel comfortable on bikes will alleviate the transportation challenges many of them face. The Refugee Women’s Network, with the help of corporate sponsors. plans on giving women their own bikes once they learn to ride.

“In the refugee journey, transportation is a huge barrier,” she said. “I often think wow,...