Q: Why a Walkathon?
A walkathon (walk-a-thon) is defined as a long-distance walk organised as a fundraising event in which participants raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking a predetermined distance.
As such, walkathons not only generate revenue for a cause but also create mass awareness of the cause that participants rally behind. However, Walk 4Africa is not a race. It’s a sustained decade-long journey. A journey of discovery with a purpose.
Q: What’s the Purpose?
To raise funds for financing our Mission, in accordance with our Vision and Values.
Q: Why only Coastal Countries?
The majority of Africas’ people live close to the coast so this is where the greatest impact can be made. Additionally, “Beach & Sun” holidays are ranked as the second-largest tourism attraction. And finally, walking the coastlines makes it a lot simpler to plot a continuous route for the walkathon journey.
However, this does not mean that Walk4Africa will end there. Besides being annual events, we may include Africa’s land-locked countries as a second walkathon initiative after the first coastal events have been launched in September 2021.
Q: Which Countries?
Arranged in alphabetical order, the 40 host countries (with coastline distances) are:
- Algeria = 1,622 km (1,008 mi)
- Angola = 1,600 km (990 mi)
- Benin = 121 km (75 mi)
- Cameroon = 402 km (250 mi)
- Cape Verde = 965 km (600 mi)
- Comores = 340 km (211 mi)
- Congo (DRC) = 40 km (25 mi)
- Congo Republic = 40 km (25 mi)
- Cote d’Ivoire = 515 km (320 mi)
- Djibouti = 314 km (195 mi)
- Egypt = 2,234 km (1,388 mi)
- Equatorial Guinea = 296 km (185 mi)
- Eritrea = 2,234 km (1,388 mi)
- Gabon = 885 km (550 mi)
- Gambia, The = 80 km (50 mi)
- Ghana = 539 km (335 mi)
- Guinea = 320 km (199 mi)
- Guinea-Bissau = 350 km (217 mi)
- Kenya = 536 km (333 mi)
- Liberia = 565 km (351 mi)
- Libya = 1,770 km (1,100 mi)
- Madagascar = 4,828 km (3,000 mi)
- Mauritania = 754 km (468 mi)
- Mauritius = 330 km (205 mi)
- Morocco = 1,835 km (1,145 mi)
- Mozambique = 2,470 km (1,535 mi)
- Namibia = 1,570 km (976 mi)
- Nigeria = 853 km (530 mi)
- Reunion = 207 km (129 mi)
- São Tomé and Príncipe = 209 km (130 mi)
- Senegal = 531 km (330 mi)
- Seychelles = 737 km (460 mi)
- Sierra Leone = 402 km (250 mi)
- Somalia = 3,333 km (2,071 mi)
- South Africa = 2,798 km (1,739 mi)
- Sudan = 716 km (445 mi)
- Tanzania = 1,424 km (885 mi) Includes Zanzibar
- Togo = 56 km (35 mi)
- Tunisia = 1,148 km (713 mi)
- Western Sahara = 1,110 km (690 mi)
Q: Who will organise the Walkathons?
Each Country Steering Committee (CSC) will arrange its own walkathon event.
The concept is for the host country to contract local suppliers where possible. That’s the whole idea behind sustainable tourism – to spend money where it counts the most – with local communities.
A Correlation Network Office (CNO) admin team based in Cape Town provides the CSCs with marketing tools, expertise, and financial support necessary to organise a successful walkathon. And, as each country launches and concludes its walkathon, we will all learn from the experience to improve the next county’s event.