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Sunday, 17 March 2013

This week I will Walk In Her Shoes


Who is Her? The millions of women and girls living in extreme poverty in developing countries who walk for hours every day for essentials like water, food and firewood. Girls like Sopheap, and women like Ang (pictured below). The thousands of steps women and girls walk every day prevents them from taking steps that will help lift them out of poverty - like working to earn an income or going to school and getting an education.

Ang from rural Laos walks on average 44 kms a day to provide for her family. Photo: CARE Australia 
Tomorrow morning I will clip on a pedometer and aim to walk at least 10,000 steps (about 6-7 km) throughout the day. I will do it every day this week while hounding my friends and family to donate to CARE Australia through my fundraising page. I've had my pedometer on over the weekend to see how far I walk in a normal day and what I will need to do to make my 10,000. The last two days I managed about 7,000 steps per day. I need to step it up.

10,000 steps a day barely mirrors the reality of the the women and girls I'm walking for.  I walk for exercise - to get myself of my squishy couch watching the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. I walk a few steps to the kitchen for clean water, to a fridge full of food and a stove to cook it or to grab my slippers and a jumper when I'm cold. Sometimes I walk to work - but not if it's raining. I get to choose when I walk.

Come rain or shine this week I will make my 10,000 steps but when I'm out pounding the pavement I'll be listening to music, admiring the outdoors, and avoiding cars and dog poo. I won't be carrying water on my head or firewood in a basket on my back. My family will not be depending on me to bring food from the farm. But I will take my 10,000 steps a day as consciously as I can with gratitude for how easy my life is.

The campaign aims to raise $1.2 million to support CARE projects that remove the burden of walking like providing clean water close to homes. I'm hoping to contribute $1000 through my fundraising.

Find out more about the Walk In Her Shoes challenge and CARE Australia. 

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4 comments:

  1. Unknown18 March 2013 at 02:53

    Hi Madeline, I am very impressed with this blog. My kids are studying children's rights and poverty at school at the moment, so I have shared your blog with them, to show wonderful things we can do to support those less fortunate than us.
    I hope to support you on your fundraising page. I have done the Oxfam Trailwalk and appreciate the time and effort that goes into fundraising.
    Cheers, Suzie

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    1. OzTraveller24 March 2013 at 00:10

      Thanks Suzie. It's going well - and am hoping to ramp up fundraising this coming week since I'll be able to say I've done the walk and achieved over 10,000 steps every day.

      If your kid's school is interested (or even a session for the community at the library) we have a Development Education team who visit schools and community groups to talk about poverty and development. They will tailor presentations to the topics the kids are talking about etc.

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  2. Unknown23 March 2013 at 18:00

    I'm loving your blog Maddy, great content! I especially love the 'How To' nature of your first post. You're writing is lovely to read - you really know how to do this online stuff :-)

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    1. OzTraveller24 March 2013 at 00:17

      Thanks Mandy! I hope one of the 'How To' tips helps for your last subject. LOL.

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