Sowers Long March for Education – 2008 Gansu Walkathon
To Re-build Schools Destroyed by Earthquake in Southern Gansu

Wen County in the southern Gansu province, one of the aided counties of Sowers Action, was severely affected by the recent Sichuan earthquake which is only about 200 km away. According to the education bureau officials, more than 300 schools in the county were destroyed. The funds raised by the Walkathon this year will help to rebuild some of the 150 schools targeted to be rebuilt in the areas by Sowers Action.   

In 2004, Sowers Action organized an unprecedented large-scale walkathon - The Long March for Education, tracing the historical route of the Red Army trekking through 10 provinces through China in 10 months from October 2004 to August 2005. The walkathon successfully raised fund over HK30 million and rebuilt schools in 101 counties along the route. With the highly successful 2004-2005 event and enthusiasm from participants, Sowers Action subsequently organized the mini 8-day Long March for Education 2006- Sichuan Walkathon and 2007- Guizhou Walkathon, raising over HK$1 million each year.  

This year, Sowers Action has organized a charity walk through the Gansu Province – The Long March for Education – 2008 Gansu Walkathon.  The mission was also to raise funds to help the rebuilding of dilapidated schools and to provide education facilities to schools in the Gansu Province. With the recent disastrous earthquake, the funds will be dedicated to Wen County which is the worst hit area in Gansu
The 2008-Gansu Walkathon will be an 8-days trip trekking along the famous Yellow River West Corridor and through famous towns and historical spots at Lanzhou, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang.  We plan to have 120 to 150 walkers to participate in this walkathon, with a walking distance of 100 km, and to raise over HK$1 million.

Apart from visiting school along the route, we shall also take time to visit scenic and historical sites in the region. These include the Yellow River bank at Lanzhou, the historical Jiayuguan Fort at the last western outpost of the famous Great Wall of China, the Min Sha Shan Sand Dunes and the Crescent Moon Lake, the Mogoa Grottoes, the years gone by Yukmun Gate, windswept desert and awesome spectacular landscapes.

Long Match 2008

Route : Gansu Province (through Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Dunhuang)

Walking Distance: 80 to 100 km

Period : 6th Sep – 13 Sep, 2008
(8 days)

No. of Participants: 120 - 150

Enquiry : 2597 4739

Website : http://www.sowers.org.hk

Scenic spots along the route

Below are some of the scenic spots along the walkathon route:

 


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Jiayuguan, the western outpost of the Great Wall of China

 


 

Yukmun Gate, a fort of years gone by

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The famous Min Sha Shan sand dunes

 

Awesome landscapes and wind swept
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A snow capped mountain along the route

The world renowned Mogoa Grottoes housing a treasure of Buddhism


Sowers Action

Sowers Action was formed in Hong Kong in 1992, with legal registration, as a non-religious, non-political and non-profitable charity organization. Our aim is to invest our effort in China, helping the students in those poor provinces to receive education in safe premises. In the past 16 years, we have devoted our effort in sponsoring students to go back to school, rebuilding dangerous schools to provide safe premises for the students and to provide some basic training to the teachers in these poor provinces. For the 16 years up to December, 2007, we have

- rebuilt over 700 schools
- sponsor over 240,000 students to continue education
- provide training to over 8,000 teachers
- total investment up to RMB180 million covering 14 provinces in China

Organized by volunteers, Sowers Action holds a number of activities each year to raise donations for the mission. The Long March for Education, a charity walkathon in the mountainous and remote areas in North-Western part of China, is one of them. Others include: Walk to Guanzhou, Challenging 12 Hours, Spring Walk for Education.