27 Laps Biking And Running In North Hagley For Hagar Charity
27 loops, 118kms of running and biking, 9.5 hours on my feet in total, three days of calf muscle recovery and one Hagley Park jogger recovering from a small collison.
What was the point of such a grueling day? I wanted to raise money for Hagar, a non for profit organisation that works to support women and children escaping slavery, trafficking and other forms of abuse. Why 27 loops of North Hagley? Every 27 seconds one person around the world will be sold into slavery.
Unfortunately, women are disproportionately overrepresented in this statistic. The United Nations estimated that 29 million women and girls are victims of modern slavery, exploited by practices including forced labour or marriage, debt-bondage, and domestic servitude. This means that one in every 130 women and girls are living in slavery today.
The $1581 raised through Tuesday’s event will go towards Hagar’s work in Vietnam. Hagar is dedicated to working alongside these vulnerable women and children for however long they require the support, guiding them to overcome the trauma of their experiences. Services which Hagar provides include counselling, legal support, and safe accommodation, as well as education and employment opportunities.
The experience of being part of Hagar’s Youth Programme has educated me in an area of human suffering, specifically the suffering of being a woman in a country where they are grossly unequal. It has also shown me that there are people fighting for change in courageous, innovative and effective ways.
So what can we do with our awareness? Sometimes I feel powerless to do anything about the suffering that is happening beyond my doorstep, let alone beyond my country. However, the more we know about it, the more we can do. Raising money helps. Brilliant organisations like Hagar have people on the ground, making a real difference and they need all the money they can get. Maybe you don’t have a talent for monotonous exercise that causes a significant amount of discomfort. Rather, you are a talented artist or musician. Using these skills you could sell some art, write a poem or put on a concert. I heard that Mr Langdon is busting for another concert and Mrs Dyne is desperate for a bit of Spoken Word. I know our school is overflowing with talent. Use your talents to raise awareness and money for a cause you care about. From my experience teachers really come on board and support you in your endeavors, plus you learn so much when educating yourself about something and trying to do something for it.
I was extremely lucky to receive so much support from our school community. Thank you to all of the senior students and teachers who came along to run or bike beside me, and to those who very generously donated too! A special shout out has to go the way of Mrs Richards and 9MOS, who were at the tree (start line), to hang up balloons and send us off for the first lap at 9.30am. A special thank you also to Miss Sisifa, who ensured we eventually found the right path for each loop. It was an incredible feeling to have so many people either donate, or encourage me whilst running or biking. Despite being tired, it was the support of many which truly made it such an enjoyable and rewarding experience!
If you are interested in making a donation, the link to the page is below.