Walk Against Want

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Walk Against Want is an annual event held by Oxfam Australia (formerly Community Aid Abroad). The Walk is usually held in March in many locations around the country (over 60 in 2005, and around 100 in 2006). Participants in each location undertake a walk of five to ten kilometres along their community's planned route. The walk was originally intended to represent the distance that women in developing countries had to walk every day in order to fetch clean water.

The 2006 Walk Against Want was held on March 5th in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, and on March 12th in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. 2006 marked the Walk's 40th anniversary and the final time it will be held in Australia [1].

Individuals, businesses, community groups and schools can participate in the Walk. After registering for the walk (from January onwards) they are encouraged to raise money by collecting "sponsorship" pledges from friends and family, as with other charity events such as World Vision's 40 Hour Famine. The 2005 Walks around Australia raised over $500,000 in total.