Twenty Canadians. Eight days. 400 KM. One goal.
Toronto, September 13th, 2011
Twenty Canadians will be walking from Toronto to Ottawa on September 19th to advocate and bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Somalia. We are walking for the millions of Somalis who have been affected by this famine; for every man, woman and child who have been denied their basic human rights in Somalia; and for every parent who has lost a child or a loved one fleeing from hunger. We are walking to revive and restore the dignity that has been robbed of the Somali people for the last two decades, and, more importantly, to call upon our federal government and our fellow Canadians to help ensure that a crisis like this never happens again.
Eight-day walk details:
- The walk begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 19th at Toronto City Hall
- The walk ends at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 26th at Bayshore Drive and Carling Avenue in Ottawa
Goals of the walk:
- To raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis
- To ask the federal government to extend the donation matching period (to embolden Canadian generosity)
- To raise $1,000,000
- To ask for government and agency accountability in delivering aid
“It is wrong for the innocent and weak to suffer in such conditions when something can be done. We can no longer ignore this crisis and stay silent, we need to take action now. We are walking for the countless mothers, fathers, children and elderly whose voices and pleas have been silenced for far too long.”
- Muna Ismail, Walk For Somalia Team Member
Walk for Somalia is a non-political, non-sectarian initiative that calls on the world to
address the inhumane conditions facing millions of people in Somalia.
Walk for Somalia is led by young Canadians inspired to alleviate the suffering in Somalia. Established in 2009, Walk for Somalia has raised $30,000 for two camps for internally displaced people mobilized 1,000 participants to walk in downtown Toronto on October 10th, 2009 and hosted countless discussions and forums in local universities to educate and inform the Canadian public about the humanitarian challenges facing Somalia.
Website: www.walkforsomalia.ca
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/oF5KZn
Twitter: @Walk4Somalia
Media Contacts:
Ige Egal | ige.egal@gmail.com | 416 500 2741
Huda Hassan | hudamina@gmail.com | 647 860 3163
