CARE International supporters brave the cold to raise awareness of Walk in Her Shoes. © Emilie Bailey / CARE
Leading poverty charity CARE International today brought a developing world issue to the heart of London as female supporters gathered on the banks of the Thames, weighed down with buckets and jerry cans, to collect water. The gesture aimed to raise awareness of CARE’s ‘Walk in her shoes’ initiative.
‘Walk in her shoes’, supported by the Co-operative Membership, asks women to experience for one week a taste of the harsh realities facing women in developing countries, where water and food are not easily available. Participants will walk 10,000 steps (around 5 miles) a day for one week in March, in recognition of International women’s Day on March 8th, while raising vital funds to help those living in poverty.
Women in some developing countries carry an average load of 20 kg at a time in water and firewood– the equivalent to the UK’s average luggage allowance. Collecting water, firewood and other basic necessities are responsibilities that usually fall upon women and girls in the developing world. This leaves little time to attend school, access health services or earn money to support their families.
CARE’s marketing and fundraising director, Sarah Taylor-Peace, said: “Poverty is keeping women and girls from fulfilling their potential. Tasks which take seconds in the UK can mean backbreaking work in poor communities and much of this responsibility is borne by women and girls. Tasks which keep girls from attending school and women from paid work come at a high cost, trapping generation after generation in a cycle of poverty. In some countries where CARE operates, a girl is more likely to die in childbirth than finish primary education. In 2012, this is simply unacceptable.”
The average person in the UK walks less than two miles a day. By swapping the bus or train or including a lunchtime walk, supporters will show they care about women living in poverty. CARE will provide pedometers and will be on hand to support participants in their challenge. By raising £100, each participant could help CARE build or repair a water pump close to a poor community, saving a woman or girl’s gruelling daily walk, as well as the lives of children who needlessly die from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water.
Taylor Peace added: “We want UK women to walk shoulder to shoulder with those who carry the bulk of the burden when it comes to poverty.”
Find out more about how you can ‘walk in her shoes'.
Or call 020 7091 6111 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
