Walk for Somalia: Afgoyee Camps
In 2009 our team felt it was important to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia. There are over 1.5 million people who are internally displaced and 600,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Most of the internally displaced peoples reside in the outskirts of Mogadishu, in an area known as the Afgoye Corridor.
Armed with this knowledge, Muna Ismail got together with a her friends to raise awareness and funds. Through a lot of work and dedication, our team was capable of holding a charity walk in Downtown Toronto on October 10th 2009.
We had over 700 hundred participants attend the walk and over $25,000 raised for three refugee camps in the Afgoye Corridor. The money was raised with the assistance of our partner Human Concern International (HCI) and sent to a local NGO in Mogadishu that bought beans, corn and oil.
It is important to note that the main victims of this struggle are the women and children. One could hear their innocence and hope through the prayers they gave us over a phone conversation asking us to not forget them, for we are the only hope for their survival. As the food was being distributed, multiple mothers kept on commenting and insisting that their condition was far better than that of their fellow brothers and sisters in other camps and asking us to assist them as well.
walkforsomalia’s photostream on Flickr.
Interview with an elder who received donations
Walk for Somalia 2009 Trailer and Video
