5 months Ago
Beginning at 5 p.m., the walk took place across six Dutch cities — Amsterdam, Groningen, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Utrecht and Rotterdam — and participants could select 10, 20 or 40-kilometer routes. Groningen also featured an inaugural route this year, where more people showed up than anticipated.
Broad Support in the Netherlands
Some 200 teams from schools, companies and other groups participated in the effort. They were all full, the five classic routes: from Tilburg to Den Bosch, Rotterdam to The Hague, Amsterdam to Haarlem, Utrecht to Amersfoort, and Nijmegen to Arnhem.
Renske Boetje, the acting director of Stichting Vluchteling, emphasized the increased involvement of the Dutch public. "They and the tens of thousands of accompanying sponsors demonstrate that Dutch people are starting to care more and more about people on the run. It's exciting to see the group get bigger and bigger every year," she said.
It's Personal Stories That Resonate Most With Their Message
The gathering drew walkers who came with migratory stories of their own. Ari, 29, an Afghan immigrant who came to the United States with his parents as a baby, participated in the walk for the second time. "I remember as a child realizing just how arduous and hazardous the journey here was. No one leaves because they want to," he said.
The money collected during this year's walk will go towards emergency assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping earthquake victims in Myanmar and supporting displaced Syrians returning to the areas where they came from, Stichting Vluchteling said.
