Gulu Walk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gulu Walk is an initiative started by two Canadians to highlight the plight of Acholi children in northern Uganda who trek each night to town centers in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader – for fear of being maimed, raped, abducted or even killed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel paramilitary group that has been operating in northern Uganda since 1987.
Each night, tens of thousands of children referred to as "night commuters", ranging between the ages of 3 and 17, walk up to 20 kilometres (12.45 miles) from Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camps to larger towns, especially Gulu, in search of safety from the LRA. It is estimated that around 20,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since 1987 for use as soldiers and sex slaves.
[edit] Awareness
A number of initiatives have appeared in the last year to help raise awareness for these children. The original Gulu Walk, which lasted for 31 days, involved Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward as they conducted their own ‘night commute’ in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Every night in July, 2005 they walked 12.5km (7.75 miles) into downtown Toronto and slept in front of the City Hall. After four hours sleep, they made the trek home at sunrise, all the while continuing to work full-time and attempting to maintain their usual daily routine.
In February, 2006, grade 8 students from Annette Street Public School in Toronto, braved temperatures of -15°C (5°F) to participate in their own Gulu Walk. They walked 10km (6.21 miles) from their school to Metro Hall, in support of the children of northern Uganda. This group was organized by teacher, Lisa Klug, and followed Adrian Bradbury to their destination. The student-driven event was initiated when the school was requested to contribute to an art exhibit at Metro Hall entitled ‘Creative Soles’. They organized their project around Gulu Walk, 'walked the walk' and were greeted by Toronto Mayor, David Miller. Their efforts attracted media attention.
