GuluWalk 2006 - In Support of The Children of Uganda

As you all know, Clay made a trip for UNICEF to Uganda last year. He was able to be with many of the children who are "night commuters", those that have to leave their homes and travel to places of safety to keep from being abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army. We have heard him tell of these children and have seen pictures of him with them. These children are very close to Clay's heart.

Last year was the first GuluWalk, which was started to spread word of the plight of these children and to raise money for their cause. According to Dardar1126 from The Clayboard, "over 15,000 people in 38 cities around the world walked in solidarity with the children of northern Uganda." Once again, in 2006, people will be walking for the children in Uganda. This year's event will take place on Saturday, October 21, with a few cities' walk taking place on other days in October.

There are several sites online you can go to in order to get information about this year's Guluwalk. To find a city near you, go to FindaWalk. There are cities all over the United States and in other countries as well that will be taking part. You can also go to Guluwalk.com and Guluwalk.com/blog for additional information or to make a donation.

In addition Dardar1126 has shared some information at The Clayboard from the Guluwalk Newsletter about the 2006 Guluwalk. Below is this information, and you can also go to The Clayboard to read further about this fundraiser.

What a great way to share in the work that Clay has done with UNICEF by walking with others or donating to this cause.

Here is the information from Dardar1126:

GuluWalk 2006

Last year, in the inaugural global GuluWalk, over 15,000 people in 38 cities around The 2005 event was about telling the story of these courageous children; it turned into a fundraising event that collected over $40,000 to support youth programs in the night commuter shelters and internally displaced persons camps.

However, last year was only the beginning.

GuluWalk 2006, set for Saturday, October 21, will take place in over 75 cities in 15 different countries around the world. From Kampala to Kansas City to Calgary, there is a GuluWalk near you.

About GuluWalk & Northern Uganda:

Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward first heard the stories of the ‘night commuters’ of northern Uganda In the spring of 2005. They kept reading these unbelievable accounts of children, as many as 40,000, who would walk every night from rural villages into the town of Gulu and other urban centres to sleep in relative safety and to avoid abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army.

In the midst of this 20-year civil war, not only do the children ‘night commute’ in northern Uganda, but over 1.7-million 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. These camps are a horrifically inadequate protection strategy, and the only answer for the Acholi of northern Uganda is peace.

The plight of these children sparked the idea for GuluWalk, a 31-day ‘night commute’ in support of these courageous kids. Every evening in July of 2005, Bradbury and Hayward walked 12.5 km into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. After about fours hours sleep they made the trek home at sunrise, all while continuing to work full-time and attempting to maintain their usual daily routine.

GuluWalk started in 2005 as an attempt by two Canadians to better understand the ordeal of the ‘night commuters’ of northern Uganda. It has now grown into an urgent, impassioned worldwide movement for peace and a fundraising effort for a generation of children being left behind.

GuluWalk 2006 is an international campaign of Athletes for Africa and is coordinated in the United States in partnership with the Africa Faith and Justice Network.

For more information visit www.guluwalk.com or please contact:

Adrian Bradbury, Founder & Executive Director
Athletes for Africa / GuluWalk
T: 416.668.1553

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