Walk for Women raises £2192.85!

After worries about rain, the day of the 'Walk for Women' was bright and sunny. Around 11.30am and despite problems with the underground not running, thirty walkers gathered on Kew Green, ready for a day's walking. They were soon all kitted out with a 'Walk for Women' T-Shirt, bottles of water and Geobars and ready to go!

The walkers set off from Kew Green just after 12noon. The ten-mile walk took them through Chiswick and Notting Hill, with a lunch break in Holland Park. The final few miles – from Princess Diana Memorial Fountain through Hyde Park, past Buckingham Palace, along the Mall to Trafalgar Square and finally to the Strand and Victorian Embankment Gardens – followed the route taken by the Mud March of 1907. This was the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. 3000 women walked through the streets of London from Hyde Park to the Strand.

In this way, the ‘Walk for Women’ suited perfectly the mood of International Women’s Day, celebrating the achievements of women past, present and future. The money raised through the walk will go to support the work of Project Muso Ladamunen, which empowers women in Mali to fight poverty and disease in their community.

Walking at a fast clip, all the walkers had crossed the finish line by 4pm. Although everyone was tired and the blister count was high, the general mood was one of elation. And some of the walkers were particularly excited to see an episode of 'Spooks' being filmed right at the finish line!

Vanessa, 17, said, ““I enjoyed it, it was worth it, worth doing it for charity anyway – I’d recommend everyone to do it!”

The walk has so far raised £2,192.85, with some sponsorship money still outstanding. As Tony Blair has agreed to match the funds raised by the Fellows this year, this money will be worth double for Project Muso!

Jessica Beckermna, co-Executive Director of Project Muso, has said: "We are all one big team joining together in pursuit of the vision of communities of faith around the world working together to end the injustices of extreme poverty and affirm the dignity of every human life: the 30 courageous women and men who marched through the streets of London on International Women's Day in solidarity with community members fighting malaria in Mali, their family and friends who pledged to support them on their march, Tony Blair who matched all of the funds they raised, and the heroic mothers and Community Health Workers in Mali struggling against great obstacles to ensure their children have access to malaria treatment. We are grateful to be part of such a team."

- Myriam Volk, Faiths Act Fellow -