A country in crisis: Two Cardiff Uni students are walking 2265 miles to raise money for Yemen

Two Cardiff University students are partaking in a social justice course with the charity Tearfund. Leah Otto, a second year human geography student, and Iwan Robb, a third year economics student, have been set an ambitious challenge by the charity to raise £1000 each – where all of the proceeds will go to the aid of Tearfund’s projects.

Leah and Iwan have decided that to raise this £2000 between them, they will walk the distance of the borders of Yemen in just 24 days – walking 2265 miles in total. They both hope to not only raise as much money as they can in doing this, but to also raise awareness about what is currently happening in Yemen during their time of crisis.

They wrote on their donation page: “We are walking the borders of Yemen in just 24 days for Tearfund because 24 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid.”

5 million children in Yemen, and 8.4 million people in the country in total, are currently facing famine as the country endures what the UN has described as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern times.

Walking the distance of the border of Yemen is equivalent to 86.5 marathons, which is not easy in the small amount of time they have given themselves. However, they have written on their donation page: “Luckily, we won’t be doing this alone! Our friends and family are pledging to help us walk this distance. We would really appreciate any donations (and any miles you can walk). Please help us raise our goal of £2000, this money will impact so many lives!”

Not only are the pair hoping that extra walkers will help achieve their goal and raise more awareness, but are also aware of the benefits of exercise and outdoor walks for our mental health. This means the walk is not only positively impacting the charity aiding the Yemen Crisis, but also those who help the charity reach their goal.

The pair have already raised over £1000, and have 100 people walking for the cause.

Both Leah and Iwan  would really appreciate any donations, small or large, (plus any miles you can walk). If you would like to donate to their JustGiving page, you can do so here.

If you are further interested in this cause, here are some additional charities accepting donations to help Yemen: