23rd Annual World Partnership Walk
Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to salute and thank the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and especially its affiliates here in Edmonton for undertaking the 23rd annual World Partnership Walk this past weekend. This is Canada’s largest and longest running annual event dedicated to increasing awareness of and raising funds for combatting global poverty. Local convenor Karim Kanji co-ordinated this year’s event with help from numerous Ismaili community members and friends, which included well over 400 volunteers and well over 1,500 walkers, fundraisers, and other helpers from the broader community.
In the end about one-half a million dollars were raised right here in Edmonton alone, bringing the new grand total to about $40 million Canada-wide. One hundred per cent of all of these funds raised goes directly toward numerous projects in Africa and Asia that address global poverty issues, including health, education, rural development, and strengthening community-based solutions. Many of these projects provide clean drinking water and address safe water collection methods, irrigation, and sanitation matters.
Here in Canada we sometimes take clean water for granted. However, in many countries in Africa and Asia about 50,000 people die every day because of water-borne diseases. The Aga Khan Foundation through its World Partnership Walk has pledged to alleviating these and other major problems stemming from global
poverty. Mr. Speaker, I was privileged to attend this partnership walk again this year along with colleagues from Edmonton-Whitemud and Edmonton-Glenora. I would also like to thank my personal hosts for
the day – Nadir Rajan from Crystal Printing, Karima Bapoo, and Sadru Nazarali – as well as Dr. Moiz Ramji and Nizar Mitha and numerous other volunteers for their enormous efforts this year.
I would urge all members in the Assembly to join me in congratulating all the volunteers for staging and participating in this extremely important initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation, which is a nondenominational and registered charity with an incredibly successful record of project accomplishments.
Thank you.
Ismailimail 