‘Mother-to-Mother’ walkathon exceeds $1M target
A WALKATHON staged in the capital city of Georgetown yesterday by mothers here for mothers of earthquake-ravaged sister CARICOM nation, Haiti, attracted massive participation, and within the specified four-hour time-frame, was able to meet and surpass the G$1Million target set by the organisers.

‘Mothers of Guyana’ on the streets of Georgetown yesterday collecting relief for ‘Mothers if Haiti’

Of that amount, $548,000 represented cash collections, with the remainder being in pledges, according to executives of the Women’s Affairs Bureau (WAB), who organised the event with the help of other women’s organisations, and promised that a final figure would be given at a later date. In addition, a large amount of food and clothing was received from private individuals.

The walkathon, which also saw participation from several other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and interested members of the public, turned out to be a resounding success.

Moving off from outside the Public Buildings at 06:30h, the procession covered several key streets in commercial areas of down-town Georgetown, then wended its way east into non-traditional suburban parade routes such as Newtown and Kitty.

Women on the walkathon in action yesterday.

Then, heading back into commercial Georgetown after a morning well spent and combing the streets, the walkathon eventually culminated at the Promenade Park on Middle Street. And sure enough, the response by members of the public, who generously gave of themselves in cash and kind, was phenomenal.

The walk was led by contingents from the WAB; Mothers in Black; the Salvation Army Women’s Home League (led by two Haitian captains, one of whom lost relatives in the tragedy); Wives of Policemen; and the Leo Clubs.

They were accompanied by the Police Steel Band, which did much to keep the spirit alive as the women, old and young, braved the mid-morning heat in pursuit of a common cause, that being to raise funds and collect other forms of donations for the people of Haiti.

Happy to be able to give to the people of Haiti, these citizens hand over their parcel to the organisers of the Walkathon. (Photos by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

As the walkathon made its way through the streets, hundreds, including the owners of businesses, shoppers, motorists, pedestrians, and residents — even very little children — could be seen eagerly running towards the specially designated vehicles to hand over their donations of food and clothing.

It was a heartwarming show of solidarity to see women of all ages, who had converged outside of Public Buildings from as early as 05:00h, moving with a spirit of determination, covering about ten miles on foot in the blazing sun, just to ensure that no one willing to give to the cause along the route was denied the opportunity of doing so.

As the hundreds of women marched under a banner emblazoned with the words, ‘Mothers of Guyana For Mothers in Haiti’, the momentum was kept alive with the lusty singing of such solidarity songs as ‘We Shall Overcome’ (with the word ‘they’ substituting ‘We’); ‘Try a Little Kindness’; ‘We Are The World’ to the accompaniment of the Police Steel Band.

At the end of the activity, Ms. Hazel Halley-Burnett, former Head of the Women’s Affairs Bureau, expressed her satisfaction with the way things went, and thanked all those who played a part in making the event the resounding success it was.

“I am satisfied that there was overwhelming support by the organisations and individual persons. We really did not expect this kind of support and response from the people. My car trunk was filled; other vehicles were filled; and if we should do this again, I know we will get the same kind of support,” she said.

Noting that there might still be persons out there who would like to subscribe to the cause, but for some reason or the other are unable to get to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) or other designated locations to make their pledges, Halley said:

“This venture helped a lot; it’s like meeting them where they are, with what they would really like to give, and we are very grateful to them.”

The proceeds from yesterday’s walk will be handed over to the Guyana National Committee for Relief for Haiti.