“What we are witnessing is a conscious disregard for human life.
Where is our political, moral, economic and social leadership?”— GuluWalk founder Adrian Bradbury, in the National Post
First Steps
Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda in the spring of 2005. They read unbelievable accounts of children — as many as 40,000 — walking from their rural villages into the town of Gulu and other urban centres to sleep in relative safety and avoid abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for use in the country’s 22-year war.
The plight of these children sparked the idea for GuluWalk, a 31-day night commute to raise awareness about their harrowing reality. Every evening in July of 2005, Adrian and Kieran walked 12.5 kilometers into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about fours hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their daily routine to mimic the lifestyle endured by the Acholi children of northern Uganda. Over the 31 days, they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps.
GuluWalk Keeps Growing
Since the first walk in 2005, thousands around the world have walked to tell the story of northern Uganda and bring attention to the plight of its people. Since it’s inception, the event has raised over $1-million for the children of northern Uganda.
GuluWalk continues to have a global reach and has been featured in media outlets all over the world, with GuluWalk co-founders Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward being recognized in 2005 as Newsmakers of the Year by Maclean’s magazine, while Adrian’s writing on the conflict continues to appear the National Post, the Sudan Tribune and Uganda’s Daily Monitor.
Just last year, on October 25, 2008, more than 30,000 people, in 75 cities in 16 different countries took to the streets to urge the world to support peace in northern Uganda. GuluWalk is clearly no longer an effort by just two people. Now, it is made possible by the support of so many volunteers worldwide and the experience and compassion of numerous partner organizations.
This year, the GuluWalk takes place around the world on October 24, 2009. Get involved here.
Northern Uganda Today
While we are happy to say that the night commuting has currently stopped, the need for rebuilding in northern Uganda is ongoing. In the midst of the conflict, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in squalid camps. There, huts are packed tightly together, access to clean water is limited and violence and disease are rampant.
While some camp residents are returning to their former homes, northern Uganda is in the midst of a transition: a tentative peace has come to the region, and rehabilitation, rebuilding and stability is greatly needed in order for the next generation to succeed, live in peace and indeed have the chance to lead the region to prosperity.
For up-to-date information on the region, visit Resolve Uganda, and learn more about the new youth centre bring built in Gulu or check out programs GuluWalk has supported in the past.
Our Team
We are currently hiring two full-time paid staff positions:
Director: Partnerships and Development
Manager: Outreach and Communications
Staff
Adrian Bradbury, Founder & Executive Director
Kieran Hayward, Director, Programs & Finance
TBD, Director, Partnerships & Development
Andrea McKinlay, Manager, Events & Operations
Andrew Wallace, Manager, Outreach & Communications
GuluWalk Advisory Board
Dr. Erin Baines, Director of Peace & Conflict Studies, Liu Institute
Dr. Gerry Caplan, Author, Rwanda: The Preventable Genocide
Kieran Hayward, GuluWalk Co-Founder
Anna Miller, Program Director Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief
Michael Otim, Director, Gulu NGO Forum
Michael Poffenberger, Director, Resolve Uganda
Allan Rock, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
Alanna Rondi, Former Executive Director, AMREF Canada
Board of Directors (Athletes for Africa)
Adrian Bradbury, Founder & Director, Athletes for Africa
Ward Dilse, Executive Director, Ontario University Athletics
Michael Gleeson, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Hassan Valji, Capgemini
