Having left today – 1 September 2021 - from London to Lille on the Eurostar, the journey is expected to take the two friends four months, where they will cover a staggering 50km a day, following the difficult route that many refugees have to take when fleeing to the UK for safety.
The route will take the friends through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey before they finally enter Iraq across its northern border into the region of Kurdistan before finishing in the city of Irbil.
Money raised during their journey will go towards funding our work protecting, educating and standing up for the rights of children caught up in conflict around the world.
Speaking about the reasons why they decided to do this trip, Mitch says: “Here in the UK, there is no real daily mortal risk - we have free access to education and all public life. It feels an outrage to me that so many people around the world, particularly in war-torn countries, do not have what we can too easily take for granted here. We all know that thousands of refugees flee the middle eastern region every year - many making the journey to Europe by foot. We cannot even begin to imagine the terrors that force families to split up and flee, especially when the journey can seem equally as hazardous.
That is why we want to walk the route, albeit it in the opposite direction, that many refugees come through. We want to bring more awareness to the danger of these journeys, by trying to stick to the routes these people take and maintaining a level of self-sufficiency, just as they have to”
Mitch and George plan to wild camp as much as possible with in fields and forests and make the most of limited rations. With only the clothes on their backs, a tent and some basic cooking equipment, their aim is to live off £3-4 a day to cover food and water and to vlog and blog as much as possible to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by refugees making the journey across Europe by foot.
Of choosing War Child as their dedicated charity Mitch says: “We want to raise money for War Child because the projects undertaken by them give young people an anchor of stability in an otherwise chaotic world. Children are the victims of wars fought by adults and anything we can do to lessen the impact that war has on their lives is worth doing. We have set a fundraising target of £10,000 and will strive to hit that target.”
If you'd like to follow their journey, check out their Instagram @englandtoasia. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/englandtoasia.
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Notes to the Editor:
About War Child UK
War Child UK is the only specialist charity for children affected by conflict. For more than two decades they’ve been driven by a single goal – for no child’s life to be torn apart by war. They aim to reach children as early as possible when conflict breaks out and stay to support them through their recovery – keeping them safe, helping them learn and cope with their experiences, and equipping them with skills for the future. They understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution and campaign for changes to policies and practices to support children in conflict, working with children and young people themselves to demand their rights. Together with their partners they deliver vital, life-saving work in 15 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America. In 2019 alone, they reached over 100,000 children.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warchilduk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarChildUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warchilduk
Charity number: 1071659
