[New Zealand] The march to end poverty

from The Times Online

COMMITTED charity-minded Manukau folk put their bodies on the line in a physical contest first designed to train Nepal’s famous Gurkha soldiers.

Rosina Walker (Dannemora), Gary Chamberlin (Manukau), Jason Litherland (Papatoetoe) and Alison McKinnon (Whitford) formed team Advanced Dynamics setting off on a quest to walk 100km in 36 hours, in the Oxfam Trailwalker known as the world’s greatest team challenge.

The team’s time of 29 hours, 31 minutes helped raise $500,000 for the world’s poorest people, says Oxfam, at this year’s event in Taupo earlier this month. Celebrating its 25th anniversary trek, Oxfam says the Trailwalker is its main fundraising challenge in Australia, Britain and China and is based on a military training exercise for the Gurkhas, intended to test teamwork and stamina.

“We had a great time. Knowing we’ve not only crossed the finish line, but have also helped people trapped in poverty is what makes finishing so good,” says Ms Walker.

The Advanced Dynamics people trained for three months and were four of 756 participants in 187 teams at Taupo, with more than 700 support crew and 200 race volunteers cheering them on.

Oxfam says participants came from all walks of Kiwi life, including 10 mums, two hairdressers, 27 engineers, 23 teachers, 13 managers, 10 firemen and four postmen.

“In the 36 hours it takes to complete the Trailwalker challenge, 43,200 children will have died because of poverty,” says Oxfam NZ executive director Barry Coates. “That’s the equivalent of every New Zealand child under three suddenly dying from a preventable disease in a single weekend.”

The Trailwalker has raised more than $45 million over 25 years and funds generated this year will go towards Oxfams NZ’s response to international humanitarian emergencies such as the catastrophic earthquake in Pakistan.