The Amsterdam Gulu Walk

Tomorrow, Saturday 24 October 2009, Ugandans and friends of Uganda living in the Netherlands shall converge in Amsterdam south East to join 100 other cities in the world to walk for Gulu. 

The Gulu Walk is an initiation of 2 Canadian men who first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda in the spring of 2005. These night commuters were children totaling sometimes 40,000 who used to walk to Gulu town every evening to sleep in relative safety and avoid being killed or abducted by the rebels who roamed the rural country side at night.

It is this plight of these children that sparked the idea of the Gulu Walk. “Every evening in July of 2005, Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Haywardwalked 12.5 kilometers into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about fours hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their daily routine to mimic the lifestyle endured by the Acholi children of northern Uganda. Over the 31 days, they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps.” http://www.guluwalk.com/about 

Since the first walk in 2005, thousands around the world have walked to tell the story of northern Uganda and bring attention to the plight of its people. Since it’s inception, the event has raised over $1-million for the children of northern Uganda.

While the commuting has stopped because of the relative peace in Northern Uganda, the need for rebuilding in northern Uganda is ongoing. In the midst of the conflict, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in squalid camps.

In Amsterdam the route will be as follows:

·      2.30 pm - converge at outside Ganzenhoef station in Amsterdam South East

·      3.00 pm - Start from Station Ganzenhoef and walk towards Kraainest

·      Kraaiennest back to Ganzenhoef via Kikkenstein and Gooioord) to

·      Winkel Centrum Ganzenhoef-Bijlmerdreef by the Saturday market, 

·      3.30pm - Bijlmerdreef-Amsterdamsepoort,

·      Amsterdamsepoort-Bijlmer Arena(round the Arena) and back to Amsterdamsepoort.

·      4.00pm - End of Walk and address; Hoptille 183 (Kalema's) for Tea /Coffee and other refreshments

I am again honoured to be the Amsterdam Walk chief coordinator.

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