By Nicole Malczan, Special Writer
ALLENTOWN A total 150 people turned out for a 24-hour “water walkathon” this past weekend at Allentown High School to help raise funds for sustainable development projects in impoverished villages in Malawi.
The third annual Water Walk, sponsored by the nonprofit Villages in Partnership (VIP), featured teams of volunteers whose members took turns walking around the Allentown High School track. Donations from the walkers’ sponsors will go toward VIP’s programs, said the nonprofit’s co-founder, Liz Heinzel-Nelson.
The construction of wells to provide clean and safe drinking water for the villages of Malawi has been one of VIP’s most prominent projects. Ms. Heinzel-Nelson said that before the wells were drilled, the women and girls would have to make a nearly hour-long trek to get water for drinking and cooking.
VIP was created by Ms. Heinzel-Nelson and her husband, the Rev. Stephen Heinzel-Nelson, pastor of the Allentown Presbyterian Church. The pair lived in Malawi for a year as missionaries and founded VIP after their return because of their desire to continue the work that they had begun in Africa.
This year’s Water Walk began at 6 p.m., April 27 with a spaghetti dinner open to the entire community. After loading up on pasta, it was time to burn off those carbohydrates. The walkers stepped off at 7 p.m. for a ceremonial lap and then took turns participating in a walkathon that lasted for the next 23 hours.
At 6 p.m. the next day, it was time for the final lap. Participants filled a bucket of water and carried it on their heads just as the women and girls do in Malawi because there is no running water in their homes.
The Rev. Heinzel-Nelson says his favorite part of the experience is the fellowship of the kickoff dinner and the ceremonial opening lap around the track, which is led by people holding the American and Malawian flags.
”It’s a powerful symbol of the concert for the Malawian people,” the Rev. Heinzel-Nelson explained.
Some of the participants in this year’s Water Walk included the Knights of Columbus from Council #7333 of St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Allentown, including the Krewson and the Beckman families.
Other participants were the IGNITE youth ministry from St. John’s Church. Families in this group included the Pardos, the Corringtons, the Hannons, the Amatos, the Reynolds’, the Wittenborns, and the Kaspers.
In the past two years of the Water Walk, more than $40,000 has been raised. According to VIP’s vice president, Bob Rhoad, this year’s Water Walk alone raised about $32,000, although the Rev. Heinzel-Nelson says that by the time the tallying is done the total could reach $40,000 or $45,000.
For more information about Villages in Partnership, or to make a donation, go online to www.villagesinpartnership.org
