By Mark Dreger
Despite the snow and cold, men and women came out to participate in 91大黄鸭鈥檚 annual Walk In Her Shoes event in Mission Creek Park to celebrate International Women鈥檚 Day on Sunday.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing here today is we鈥檙e walking 10,000 steps and it鈥檚 to walk in solidarity with women and girls around the world鈥攎ostly in developing countries鈥攖hat have to walk 10,000 steps鈥攐r 6 to 7 kilometres鈥攁 day just to get the basics, so firewood, water, and food,鈥� said Wendy Wright, the Volunteer Event Chair for Walk In Her Shoes. 鈥淲alk In Her Shoes is doing events not just here in 91大黄鸭, but (Sunday) they were also in Vancouver and Calgary, and later on in the week they鈥檙e in Edmonton.鈥�
Participants also had the opportunity to wear weighted baskets on their heads to get a taste of what it feels like to carry water during the long walk.
鈥淥ne of the things that we want to do is promote awareness,鈥� Wright said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about fundraising鈥擨 mean obviously we want to be raising funds to help these women and girls鈥攂ut it鈥檚 not just about that. It鈥檚 raising awareness of what continues to occur in our global community, and if we can help and raise one woman out of poverty it鈥檚 said that she takes four other people with her.鈥�
Renye Lebel and Paul Maarschalk, who both took a trip to a mud hut village in Zimbabwe, got a firsthand look at the troubles families go through carrying water long distances to and from their homes.
鈥淸Young women] were sitting beside this table, this plastic table with all these huge buckets, like five gallon drum buckets,鈥� Lebel recollected, 鈥渁nd I asked the woman, 鈥榳hat are all those buckets for?鈥� and she said 鈥榳ell that鈥檚 where we get our water. That鈥檚 what us women do: We put it on our heads and go to the well and bring back the water.鈥� So I say, 鈥榶ou got to haul all these heavy, big jugs? How far is it?鈥� And 6 kilometres they had to walk. And that鈥檚 just to get your water. They were obviously very clean and conscientious and I just thought, 鈥榳ow, that鈥檚 going to take a lot of water.鈥� So it鈥檚 just stuck with me.鈥�
According to the United Nations, Zimbabwe ranks 154th in the world on the Human Development Index with Canada ranked 10th.
鈥淚 asked her why they didn鈥檛 have running water,鈥� Maarschalk said, 鈥渂ecause there is a pipe that runs not very far from them that they would be able to connect up to, but I think it was going to cost them something like $12,000 to get connected up to the water. That鈥檚 a lot of money there.鈥�
Walk In Her Shoes is sponsored by Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) that operates in 94 countries on six continents fighting global poverty to improve basic health and education, and increase access to clean water to name a few. Funds raised from Walk In Her Shoes will be directed to support CARE鈥檚 efforts to improve the nutrition of women and children in Southern Africa.
鈥淲ouldn鈥檛 it be a beautiful thing if everyone in this world had access to clean running water that they didn鈥檛 have to spend half their day getting?鈥� Lebel said. 鈥淭o me it鈥檚 just a basic entitlement that we all need to survive. You鈥檇 like to see these families be able to live an easier life, right?鈥�
According to the World Bank, Zimbabwe鈥檚 GDP per capita was $590US in 2008, but rose to $908US in 2016.
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