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A full 12 hours of walking lies ahead for Loren O’Sullivan, who is raising funds for a charity she has been involved with for almost a decade.
Alongside her for part of the 40km walk will be her parents, Marita and Martin O’Sullivan, of Ōrewa.
Loren volunteered for the international charity NPH in 2013 and went on to become director of its NZ fundraising arm. The organisation helps vulnerable children in Latin America and the Caribbean, including running children’s homes.
Loren and supporters have pledged to ‘walk a day in the shoes’ of people who Loren says are facing a particularly harsh existence because of Covid-19.
“In this region there is no government support for people who lost their jobs during the pandemic,” Loren says. “Medical workers are struggling to cope with limited resources and crowded hospitals. On top of this, thousands were left homeless by November’s cyclones. At a time when travel is not possible, I would like to experience what it’s like to walk a day in their shoes.”
The walk, on March 6, starts and ends at St Heliers, passing through Auckland’s eastern and inner city suburbs.
As well as taking part in some, or all, of this walk, supporters can do their own walking challenge in March to raise funds for NPH.
Loren’s parents are looking forward to the challenge. “We are happy to help with NPH NZ fundraisers in any way we can,” Marita says. “It is a wonderful cause and we’ve seen it at work first-hand in Mexico City.”
Info: www.nph-nz.org/walk
