CAFOD launches Big Lent Walk to fight global poverty

This Lent, CAFOD, the official aid agency of the Catholic Church, is setting an inspiring challenge to help raise money to fight global poverty.

The challenge is simple - walk 200km over 40 days, while raising money for families impacted by the climate crisis.

How and when people walk the 5km a day is up to them, but it can be done alone, with friends, family or with a school.

Every £1 raised for the Big Lent Walk will help CAFOD support families in their efforts to respond to the impact that the crisis is having in their communities and across the world.

Signing up couldn't be easier, just head search Big Lent Walk in google or head to https://walk.cafod.org.uk/ and get going.

Jo Kitterick, CAFOD's Director of Fundraising and parish participation, said: "Lent is a time for reflection, which helps us to challenge ourselves, and a period where we think about others and what we can do to help those in need. That's why I'm really excited about taking part in the Big Lent Walk, I'll be using the walk each day to think about people working every day to overcome extreme global poverty and its causes."

Families CAFOD support include Dristy and her Mum Rupali in Bangladesh. Together, they are protecting nature and livelihoods, building seed beds and planting palm trees to protect crops from flooding and cyclones.

Rupali has a powerful message on her desire to help others around her, she said: "It's not right if I always have food on my table, yet my neighbour barely has anything to eat. I will stay well, I will keep my environment well, and I need to fight to help the people who are around me too. When they are all in a good place, the entire village will be in a good place."

Supporting the Big Lent Walk, will help families like Dristy and Rupali to protect their livelihoods and to support their community.

Any money raised can make a huge difference to people's lives.

- £10 can provide four palm trees to protect land from extreme weather caused by the climate crisis.
- £26 can provide tools and training to build raised beds to protect vegetables from floods.
- £185 can provide a place on a two-week course: growing food, adapting to extreme weather and new ways of earning a living.

While the challenge starts on Ash Wednesday (22 February), people, parishes and schools are already fundraising.

Those taking part are encouraged to share on social media, using the #TheBigLentWalk hashtag.

Anyone who raises £200 through their Big Lent Walk page will receive a special free gift as a special thank you.

For those who want to clock the activity with something other than walking, they can do a 15 minute cycle or 35 minute exercise class.

The Big Lent Walk page: https://walk.cafod.org.uk/ has all the details for sign-up, as well as handy guides on how to track your walks.