About Sowers Action “The Long March For Education”

Background and Origin of The Long March For Education

The Long March For Education is one of the charity activities organized by Sowers Action to raise donations to help children education in China.

Children in some mountain localities often have to walk for hours to attend schools. As such, Sowers Action employs largely walking activities as instruments to raise donations. By so doing, participants of the activities would be able to feel and experience the plights of school children having to walk long distance to and from schools.

To promote the mission of helping children education in China, Sowers Action joined hands with China Youth Development Fund and in 2004 organised a mega charity walkathon – The Long March For Education. This unprecedented large-scale walkathon, set out from Ruijin of Jiangxi Province in October 2004, traced the historic route of the Red Army and trekked through 10 provinces, completed triumphantly at Wuqi of Shaanxi Province in August 2005.

This 10 months’ long activity, participated by more than a thousand walkers coming from Hong Kong, the mainland provinces, as well as overseas countries, and accompanied by tens of thousands of local volunteers, raised more than HKD30 millions in donation. The funds helped the rebuilding and improvement of over 100 schools. This Long March For Education expedition has laid a key historic milestone and made significant inroads in delivering and materializing Sowers Action’s mission of bettering children education in China.

To uphold the spirit of Long March For Education, and building on the success of the 2004 - 2005 accomplishment, Sowers Action now holds annually, between September and November, a mini Long March For Education walkathon to raise funds. The walking treks now also extend away from the Red Army’s historic long march routes. In year 2006, The Long March for Education 2006-Sichuan Walkathon, in 2007, The Long March for Education 2007-Guizhou Walkathon, and in 2008, The Long March for Education 2008-Gansu Walkathon, were all being successfully held and raised donations of more than HKD1 million each year.

The Long March For Education 2009 Yunnan Walkathon

The Long March for Education 2009-Yunnan Walkathon will depart on 24 October 2009. It will be an eight-day trip, trekking the renowned historic town of Lijiang, along an awe-striking gorge, by a magnificent snow mountain and around the serene Lugu Lake (where the Mou Soue Clan still lives in their mysterious matriarchal system), covering a walking distance of some 80 km. This activity plans to recruit around 120 to 150 participants with an objective to raise donations of more than HKD1 million.

Apart from walking through scenic regions, the Long March expedition will also include the visit of a primary school along the route, and to share funs with the school children there.

Special features of The Long March For Education walkathon of the recent years, as opposed to other Sowers Action activities, are:
  • To trek along scenic or historic regions in China
  • To visit schools along the route, that have been or to be assisted by Sowers Action
  • To walk for long distances rendering participating walkers opportunity to experience and feel the plights of school children in mountain regions
  • To promote Sowers Action’s mission and objectives to improve children education in China

Walk Thousand Miles of Long March Trail – With Billion Loving Hearts to Help Education!