Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation (GWPF) has secured the date for their 2020 Walk to End FGM. The organization announced late last week, after confirmation from the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., that they have already secured Saturday, October 17, 2020 for their 2020 Walk To End FGM. This means that the Global Woman Awards will be held on the evening of Friday, October 16, 2020. Please save those dates.
The National Park Service encourages organizations to reserve their desired event dates for the National Mall in Washington at least a year in advance. With the Domestic Violence month and Breast Cancer month, October is a highly popular month for events in Washington, D.C. “While we prefer to walk in the month of October, we also want to avoid a very cold or rainy day.” A representative from the organization remarked. “The middle of the month is warmer than the end of the month.” She continued. “We had been fortunate to have sunny weather from the first walk in 2014 until last year when we encountered brisk winds and torrential rains for our 2018 Walk Weekend.” She explained, “We know that there is nothing we can do about the weather, which is an act of nature, but we were very fortunate this year to have a made-to-order weather day.” The organization now considers the use of tents at the site of the program, and providing available umbrellas for all participants in the future, based on the weather forecast.
The Planning Committee of GWPF wants everyone to save and remember the dates, Friday, October 16, 2020 and Saturday, October 17, 2020 for the next Global Woman Awards and the Walk to End FGM respectively. The organization will begin to announce their speakers as early as March, as they receive confirmation from invited speakers. The registration and fundraising pages are expected to be launched in January, to give the organization ten full months for registration and fundraising. Updates will continue through future editions of this newsletter on registrations, team formations, fundraising, sponsorships, speakers, award nominees, etc.
Since 2014, GWPF has hosted their largest awareness and fundraising event each year. If you were unaware, on November 8, 2014, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation started the Walk To End FGM on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about female genital mutilation (FGM) in the United States, and to raise funds to help support the well-being of the survivors and the at-risk girls of FGM. The organization was not certain of how the idea of such an event would be received, but it was encouraging after a great turnout in 2014. It was then that the decision was made to make it an annual event. The awareness-raising and fundraising event has enjoyed success each year, including this year. After each year, the organization plans to take a step forward toward better turnout, better fundraising, and more effective awareness.
Three years ago, someone approached GWPF about hosting the Walk To End FGM in London. While the organization welcomed the idea, they decided to revisit the possibility of holding the event in other cities only after they had held it in Washington for five consecutive years. Now that GWPF has just hosted their 6th 5K Walk this month in Washington, D.C., others have expressed interest in hosting the Walk To End FGM in such cities as Frankfurt, London, Sidney, Bordeaux, and Los Angeles. If this does occur, the event would take place simultaneously in Washington, D.C. and any additional cities on the same day, taking in consideration the time difference in each city. Talks of logistics are expected to begin prior to 2020, and when plans are finalized, an announcement will be made. Anyone or organization interested in hosting the Walk To End FGM simultaneously with the one in Washington, D.C., please contact GWPF at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org. It appears that the Walk To End FGM has certainly peaked an international interest, but GWPF is also interested in domestic organizations and/or individuals organizing the Walk Weekend. GWPF would work with the organization or individuals hosting the walk in t-shirt designs, programming, speaker selection, registration with the local Park Service, and setting up the walk registration and fundraising site. GWPF will keep you informed and updated on the progress of possible cities, and if there will be a simultaneous walk next year. Please mark your calendar and save the date, Friday, October 16th, and Saturday, October 17th 2020. Stay tuned.
Comments and questions to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call (703) 832-2642
