Oxfam India Trailwalker is not just a walking event for enthusiasts but also an opportunity to raise money for various welfare activities
The December morning last year, at 04:30 am at Garudmachi, amidst the lap of nature in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra was nothing less than being vibrant. The silence of the night was broken with the chattering of the trail walkers getting ready for their big walk and a band playing on one side. It was the first morning of the Oxfam India Trailwalker 2014. Oxfam India is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organisations.
There were around 135 teams (over 500 walkers) who had come together for a good cause — ‘Walk for Equality’ and to physically challenge themselves to walk 100 kms within 48 hours on a route that included tar road, mud path, open fields, stones strewn roads and forest routes. While The Mumbai Trailwalker concluded on December 6 2014, the one held in Bengaluru concluded on January 25 2015.
Oxfam’s target from Mumbai and Bengaluru Trailwalk is to raise approximately Rs 4 crore. Of this, they expect Bengaluru to contribute Rs 2.5 crore and Mumbai, Rs 1.5 crore.
The adventure race while is physically and mentally demanding, the best part and the most difficult aspect of this race is that each team participating has to raise a minimum of Rs 50,000 that would be deployed towards a cause. And there can be no other better motivation than this to do this race. It is the only event in India that one can participate only if they raise funds.
Like Dr. Nisha Agrawal, CEO of Oxfam India, puts it, “Our vision of ‘right to life with dignity for all’ begins at the grassroots level, and this event will demonstrate Oxfam’s commitment to create a more equal, just and viable world.”
What is interesting is how the walk has made it to India, just like it has become popular in many other countries. Trailwalker event began in 1981 in Hong Kong as a training exercise by the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, part of the Brigade of Gurkhas of the British Army, which was at the time based in the British colony. In 1986, teams of civilians were allowed to take part and Oxfam Hong Kong was invited to co-organise the event.
Oxfam Trailwalk is an international property and is considered one of the toughest team challenges. It is said that the Oxfam’s Mumbai Trail Walker iis one of the world's three most difficult and beautiful trail. This trail walker in the Sahayadri hills was nothing but pure trekking. For mountaineers and trekkers this would be a known playing field but for many out there it was an absolute blind trap. The 100 km trail walker in my sense is a test of your endurance, physical fitness, team spirit, leadership skills, crisis management and the power to make the right decisions.
What was fascinating was to see the enthusiasm in the participants. “Considering the fact that India is not such a philanthropic nation, this is a good way to get people to donate for a good cause,” says Amisha Jha, who participated for the first time in the Mumbai Trailwaker and completed it in 42 hours.
Whether one is taking part in Oxfam Trailwalker or donating to a team, in both the cases he or she is making a significant difference to the lives of others. The money raised builds the lives of some of India’s most disadvantaged communities but people who are being supported don’t want to survive on aid and assistance forever. They have the right to lead a dignified independent life.
Oxfam India works in partnership with over 130 grassroots NGOs to address root causes of poverty and injustice in the four areas of: gender justice, essential services, humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction and economic justice. It is supporting six NGOs working in these areas towards which the trail walker funds would be deployed to.
In India Oxfam started their first trail walker event in Bengaluru three years ago and since then have completed five trail walkers. This year in January, The Bengaluru Trailwalker event saw the participation from 210 teams which amounts to over 800 walkers. Bengaluru gets a lot of corporate teams participating and raising funds.
According to many, this trail walk is a great event to do charity, which otherwise most would not think of. Also it is a team event and, therefore, fun. Fund raising is a big challenge. Internationally, participants of the Trailwalker conduct fund raising events within their community or office, family etc. But, in India people have not got down to doing so much. However, people have had small fund raising events to collect money.
“People don’t just give to the cause but to the people associated with it. There are many charitable causes around the place. But, when you approach and you ask. People give YOU,” says Ranjan Pal, who has participated in the Trailwalker.
“It is a challenge to raise funds but people are doing it,” affirms Agarwal. Oxfam India is looking to help teams with raising funds. Basically it might give them ideas and directions on how they can go about raising funds. Agarwal says they plan to launch Asia Circle in India, too, like it is in the UK, where women of Indian descent come together and organise fundraising.
With corporate teams participating, many corporations themselves commit a certain amount of funds and have their own teams participate or ask their people to participate and tell them to raise funds. To further motivate them, the company matches the amount of funds raised by them. So, if a team has managed to raise Rs 75,000. The corporate adds another Rs 75,000 to make it Rs 1.5 lakh.
An interesting aspect of 2014 Mumbai Trail walk was the partnership with GOQii Inc., an innovator in the wearable technology industry. GOQii was the leading sponsor of the program, “From Couch to 100 km” which intertwove GOQii’s mission to improve lives through social causes with Oxfam India’s drive to overcome and raise awareness of global poverty. GOQii as the lead sponsor provided onsite assistance for all participants on event days in Mumbai as well as an extended free three-month training period. The company also conducted training sessions prior to the actual D-day.
The GOQii Band is the most unique development of the wearable technology industry. What makes GOQii wholly unique is that it integrates a wrist-worn device with a day-to-day personal relationship with an actual coach who will interpret the data, set goals, identify challenges and motivate the users to reach permanent and healthy lifestyle changes.
The GOQii-Oxfam Trailwalker partnership for the Trailwalker events in India is an extension of the existing partnership, the two organizations have already formed, for the GOQii Karma platform, which enables GOQii users to support various social causes.
Vishal Gondal, CEO and Founder of GOQii Inc. who has been participating in the Oxfam Trailwalk challenge ever since it started in Bengaluru first says, “This event raises awareness of Oxfam India’s mission to eliminate poverty worldwide. At GOQii, we believe that everyone possesses boundless potential for healthy, sustainable living, which aligns with Oxfam’s mission to create better lives for everyone around the world”. GOQii as a company had 16 teams participating in the Mumbai Trailwalker.