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Samson Ramadhani to lead WFP’s ’Walk the World’
2006-05-12 12:51:14
By Guardian Reporter
Tanzania’s only Gold medallist at this year’s Commonwealth games, Corporal Samson Ramadhani, is expected to lead the World Food Programme (WFP)’s Walk the World to fight child hunger next week.
The WFP-TNT Walk that will involve climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is scheduled to take place on May 16, this year in Moshi, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam.
A WFP statement issued in Dar es Salaam yesterday quotes the WFP Country Director, Patrick Buckely saying Ramadhan is to lead the five-day charity walk.
Ramadhani scooped the Gold medal in the men’s marathon at the Commonwealth games in March, this year.
’Corporal Ramadhani’s trek to Kilimanjaro is one of the brightest highlights of this year’s Walk the World, a global charity walk sponsored by WFP and its corporate partner, courier company TNT,’ reads the statement, in part, adding:’Kilimanjaro is a powerful icon of the world’s geography, the highest mountain in Africa.
To have Samson reaching the summit for Walk the World will put the spotlight on the vital importance to raise money for WFP’s school feeding programmes.’
According to the statement, Ramadhan, will send a daily report and pictures of the humanitarian adventure, which the public is invited to follow on the official website addressed: www.fighthunger@wfp.org.
Over 5,000 people are expected to participate in East Africa, including school children getting WFP’s meals in schools.
The number of school children taking part in the Walk the World is one of the hallmarks of the event this year in Africa, says the statement.
’More than 110,000 children across Sub-saharan Africa are expected to participate; in Liberia alone, another 40,000 children are set to walk and another 40,000 in Malawi,’ the statement says.
The statement, further adds that among the special guests at the event in Tanzania are the Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, who has already accepted the invitation and WFP Deputy Executive Director, Sheila Sisulu, one of the organisation’s highest officials based in Rome.
The statement, quotes Ramadhani commenting on the event as saying: ’In the 21st century, the most important thing for a child is to learn to read and write… we owe it to our children to give them basic education and nourishing food in their life when they need this the most. Our children are the future of our country.’
He also says he wants to lead the Kilimanjaro expedition not only because the mountain is Tanzania’s most famous landmark, but also because the walk will turn global attention to the importance of children’s education.
’Fight Hunger: Walk the World’ was initiated three years ago by TNT, a global provider of express, mail and logistic services.
The global advocacy and funds-drives involves chain of walks around the world, beginning at approximately the same time in each time zone, from New Zealand to Hawaii, reminds the statement.
WFP’s school feeding gives poor children a nutritious snack or cooked meal every day they attend school.
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