Regina World Partnership Walk raises money to help end global poverty

Regina joined 10 cities across the country by participating in the World Partnership Walk, helping raise money to alleviate world poverty.

The five-kilometre walk is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation and has grown in its scale and reach, raising $100 million in more than three decades.

Hinna Baz has participated in the event since 2013. It’s something close to her heart, having witnessed poverty firsthand growing up in Pakistan.

“Being here, we can’t think out of the box because we don’t see those realities,” Baz said. “But if we have been living there and we are experiencing those realities, then you can really relate to that.”

On Sunday, June 17, hundreds in Regina participated in the event, with the money raised going to help support development programs in Africa and Asia.

“Millions of people living in Africa or Asia, they live on less than two dollars a day,” said Zaheed Bardai, communications director for the Regina World Partnership Walk. “What we end up doing is taking the money that is raised today and throughout the year, and develop education programs and health care and programs to empower women and spur innovation in communities.”

For the past few months, a group of local children, including 10-year-old Zeeshan Ali, have also been dedicating their time and hard work to the cause.

“I don’t want poverty to stick around for much longer because looking at the positions of the people right now, I wonder what is going to happen if this keeps going for two or three more years,” Zeeshan said.

Zeeshan is also from Pakistan and moved to Canada with his family in 2012. This year, he raised just under $100.

“I still have lots of memories — bad things and good things, and there’s also poverty in Pakistan,” he explained. “That’s one of the reasons I want to end poverty.”

In total, the event is hoping to raise $8 million nationwide. But for Hinna Baz, it’s not just about the money. It’s about teaching her daughter the importance of giving back.

“I want her to represent the western world and to help her help her community back home,” Baz said.