WALKATHON- TWO BILLION KILOMETRES TO SAFETY

As a prelude to world refugee day and to show our solidarity to the billions of refugees who with their determination and strength cross borders every day to reach the nearest point of safety, a “walkathon” was organised on 15^th June by BOSCO-UNHCR at Lodi gardens.  This walkathon was a part of the 2 billion kilometres to safety campaign to encourage people to support refugees by campaigning individual acts of solidarity.

With the global refugee crisis, this walkathon not only showed our support but also helped in building better understanding of the refugees. This collective movement worldwide aims to reach 2 billion kilometres in 12 months just as refugees travel to safety.

The participants of the event started gathering at Lodi garden as early as 6.30 in the morning. As the crowd grew, so did the enthusiasm to begin the walkathon. The campaign started with an introduction by Ms. Ipshita from UNHCR, giving information the purpose of the gathering as well as the global campaign and all that it aims to do. The introduction helped the crowd to gain a better understanding on how we can support the refugee community and the need for more awareness.

She then welcomed the Ms. Grace to say a few words. Ms. Grace encouraged the participants to support the cause of the refuges worldwide and invited everyone to enthusiastically participate in the walkathon as the first step towards their support. She then declared the walkathon ‘open’.

The crowd of around 100 participants from the refugee community, BOSCO, UNHCR and other Indians walked together in Lodhi garden. The whole group wore similar t-shirts with the slogan “#walk with refugees”, which gave more visibility to the walk.

The walkathon ended after a 40 minute walk inside Lodhi Garden.