Gilnahirk septuagenarian walks ‘70k in May’ to tackle poverty
76–year–old Suzanne Shepherd, an active parishioner of St Dorothea’s, Gilnahirk, has signed up to walk 70k as part of a fundraiser for Christian Aid. She plans to achieve her target with daily walks in the vicinity of her own home and her sister’s Lisburn home.
Christian Aid’s ‘70k in May’ is a sponsored challenge to cover 70 kilometres by walking, running, cycling or swimming, in order to raise money to help some of the poorest people across the world.
Suzanne, who is a cancer survivor, received surgery in 2020 to treat malignant lesions that made sitting and walking unbearably painful.
In 2013, she was awarded the BEM in recognition of her many decades spent volunteering and fundraising for charities and good causes. She explained why she’s taking part in the fitness fundraiser:
“I’m so thankful that I’m a survivor of cancer, and my enjoyment of walking can be put to such a good cause for Christian Aid.”
Christian Aid’s ‘70k in May’ is a new initiative for Christian Aid Week, which runs from 12–18 May. Christian Aid Week began in the 1950s and is thought to be the UK and Ireland’s longest–running fundraising campaign. Each year, tens of thousands of people across the UK and Ireland get involved in raising funds to support the charity’s work to reach people living in poverty and crisis.
Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Suzanne for her fundraising efforts:
“Every year during Christian Aid Week, people across the UK and Ireland raise funds, act and pray for their global neighbours in a celebration of hope for a fairer world. Christian Aid Week brings people together to put our faith into action. Every prayer, every gift, every action makes a difference.”
This year’s Christian Aid Week appeal focuses on the charity’s work in Burundi, one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa. Heavily reliant on agriculture, it’s also one of the least prepared to combat the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and landslides. The global cost of living crisis has intensified the challenges, leaving more than 70% of the population living in poverty and more than half of children chronically malnourished.
Christian Aid has been working in Burundi since 1995 when it first offered humanitarian assistance to people surviving the civil conflict. Now, alongside local partners, the organisation helps establish Village Savings and Loans Associations. These community–led groups mean people can save and borrow money, making small businesses possible, offering reliable incomes so families can eat regularly, get medicine when they need it, and build safer homes.
One of those supported by Christian Aid and their local partner is thirty–five–year–old Aline Nibogora. A survivor of both domestic violence and homelessness, thanks to a small start–up loan, Aline was able to begin trading avocados and peanuts locally. With her profits, she bought a bicycle to transport greater quantities of goods to markets further afield and now has the money she needs to support herself and her children.
For more information or to donate, visit caweek.ie and to sign up for your own 70k in May, visit caweek.ie/70k