The local Ismali community raise almost a million dollars through the World Partnership Walk.
The Aga Khan Foundation Canada group walks to raise over $1 million every year in order to fight poverty, in third world countries including Africa and Bangladesh.
This year’s walk was particularly successful with the World Partnership Walk website stating that Calgarian Zaytoon Janjua raised more funds than any participant throughout Canada. Janjua raised over $113,000 for this cause
Mayor Naheed Nenshi supported the people taking part in Calgary version of the World Partnership Walk, which was held June 8.
Hundreds of members of the community converged on Prince’s Island Park to walk and raise funds as part of the 30th anniversary of this event in Calgary.
“One of the things I love about this particular walk is it shows that we as Calgarians are also global citizens,” says Nenshi. “We might not be walking for anyone we know or anyone we’ve ever met. But, we are actually walking for people around the world who need us, our voices and our resources. I think that’s says a lot about our community.”
A sea of crowd participants listened to Mayor Naheed Nenshi speak before the start of the World Partnership Walk on June 8 at Prince’s Island Park. Over $800,000 has been raised this year by this fundraiser so far.
Photo by Zarif Alibhai
Mayor Nenshi called upon Calgarians to fight global poverty with the same fervor people did in battling the devastating June 2013 flood.
“We have power and resilience in our own humanity,” Nenshi says. “Looking after one another in our own community. We should be able to take that same power, the kind of power we saw after the floods last year for example and apply it to issues and people around the world.
“We have the power in our own hearts and minds to be able to make real change.”
The World Partnership Walk raised more than $800,000 in Calgary but the total is expected to climb to over $1 million when the final total is announced in November. The final total will not be announced until November as donations as cheques and pledges continue to roll in.
If you want to contribute funds to this cause visit worldpartnershipwalk.com
Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this story we incorrectly stated that the local Ismali community did this walk instead of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada group. This change has been made.