GuluWalk is focused on being a voice for peace in northern Uganda and a partner in the health, education and future of a generation of children being left behind.
On Saturday, October 20, 2007 I am going to ‘Be an Icon’.
An ‘icon’ is defined as an important and enduring symbol. This is not about status or celebrity. It’s about standing up (and walking) for what’s right. ‘Be an Icon’ and choose to be an important and enduring symbol for the children of northern Uganda.
There is no cost to sign up and walk, this is an event for all.
If you would like to donate money to this cause you can help me to raise money by clicking
HERE! Any amount is appreciated($1.00 to $1,000.00 it is tax
deductible as well)! THANK YOU!
Can you imagine sending your kids to walk to a safe place everynight? The thought is unimaginable, yet it is still occuring today. Not at the same rates as it was in 2005, but if 100's of kids each night can't sleep in their own homes for fear of being taken from their families, then something should be done. Well the SOMETHING that can be done, is this - raising awareness and hopefully funds to help stop the terror of these children!
Some history on how the
Gulu walk came about and some history on the plight of the children ... careful, this may stir you into action.
Adrian Bradbury and
Kieran Hayward first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda in the spring of 2005. They read unbelievable accounts of children — as many as 40,000 — walking from their rural villages into the town of
Gulu and other urban centres to sleep in relative safety and avoiding abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army (
LRA) for use in the country’s 20-year civil war. In the midst of this conflict, over 1.7-million people have been displaced, on top of thousands of night commuters. These displaced persons have been forced into abhorrent conditions in camps where hundreds of people are dying every week because of a lack of clean water, food and medical care. The plight of the children sparked the idea for
GuluWalk, a 31-day night commute in support of these children. Every evening in July of 2005, Adrian and
Kieran walked 12.5 kilometers into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about fours hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their usual daily routine, to mimic the lifestyle endured by the
Acholi children of northern Uganda. Over the 31 days they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps, and there was everything from front-page news to freezing cold nights to face-to-face rat encounters (no, not a typo). Adrian and
Kieran walked to tell their story and draw attention to their plight. What started as an attempt by two people to better understand the ordeal of the children of northern Uganda, has now grown into an impassioned worldwide movement for peace.
A quick rest under a tree, it was hot out!
This year Dora was there! Last year it was Jimmy Neutron and Josie wouldn't go near him. This year Josie was such a big girl she sat next to Dora!
The start of the rodeo is on the first day, they had a wonderful area set up to learn all about rodeo life, I loved this pic, just look at Josie's rope!
This truly is a remarkable shot, last year Josie wouldn't even go into the horse barn and she is standing by a large bull. John and Josie both walked up and pet the bull too.
John petting a sheep.
