A Daily Walk
People around the world walk for miles as part of their everyday lives
April 07, 2022 | Be Informed
In much of the world, people get from one location to the next mainly by walking. They walk miles to school and work. They walk to the market to buy food, and to the well for water. They walk to the next town, village or neighborhood to visit family and friends.
Walking represents more than a mode of transportation. It affords people time to reflect, dream and take in nature’s beauty. Having a companion on the journey means a chance to listen and share. The road can also be a harsh and dangerous place with traffic, severe weather, crime, animals and other hazards.
Walking — literally and figuratively — has been integral to Unbound throughout the organization’s 40-year history. Co-founder Bob Hentzen made two extraordinary treks in his lifetime, the first covering 4,000 miles and the second spanning 8,000 miles. He walked through countries where Unbound works to call attention to the organization’s mission to “walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.” Walking in this sense implies listening, learning, connecting and moving forward together.
Following are some of the ways individuals and families in the Unbound community walk in their daily lives.
Photo 1: Diana Rose walks on her farm in Kenya. Growing up, she walked more than 9 miles to school. “When I was walking each and every day, I was thinking about my life, how I can do so that my children would not walk as I am walking,” she said, adding, “… that’s why I came up with this idea of farming, so that my family will stay stable.”
Photo 2: Diana Rose with her son, Gregory, who was sponsored through Unbound. Gregory’s sponsorship helped with his education and gave Diana Rose opportunities to obtain microloans to start and, later, expand her farm.
Photo 1: Zulema in Bolivia walks about two hours with her children to look for items to recycle for income. “We recycle bottle caps, aluminum and bottles which we sell, and we earn 30 bolivianos (about $4.36 USD) when it is good,” she said.
Photo 2: Zulema gets ready to go recycling with her children. “Josué is in front of me, Liam in the back and Andrés is next to me,” she said. “We go walking because if we take the bus, we waste the money we earn.” Liam and Andrés are sponsored through Unbound.
Photo 1: Jenina San Jose Doroteo walks for hours visiting families as a social development worker with Unbound’s Antipolo program in the Philippines. She supports about 300 families. With limitations on in-person activities in the pandemic, she’s had to rely more on text messages, chats and phone calls to stay connected.
Photo 2: Jenina crosses a bridge on a community visit. A member of the Dumagat indigenous tribe, she was sponsored as a child until her graduation from college with a degree in community development. She participates with the Indigenous People Youth Organization to encourage other Dumagat youth to take pride in their heritage and pursue their dreams.
Photo 1: Sponsored child Antony in Kenya walks more than a mile to school and back through Nairobi neighborhoods, sharing the road with vehicles and other walkers.
Photo 2: Antony enjoys reading a book in the school library. Now in fourth grade, he already has plans for his future. He wants to go to university and become a robotics engineer.
When I was walking each and every day, I was thinking about my life, how I can do so that my children would not walk as I am walking.
— Diana Rose, Farm owner who walked 9 miles to school growing up
