Over aeons people across the globe have walked for many reasons: in search of food, to worship and today we witness millions of refugees walking in search of shelter and safety. Along with a friend, Hazel Jonker, I have walked thousands of kilometres finding the silence, solitude and adventure intertwined with it all being a time of reconnection with life and the simplicity encapsulated therein. To me these long journeys are quite meditative and represent so much of what special needs children and adults experience everyday – the uncertainty of what the day holds. So we tackle it one step at a time.
Have you ever stopped and thought what tenacity or courage it takes for these children and adults to do that … to take one step at a time, to show up each day in a world where often they face judgement for choosing to do life differently. And so I walk inspired by the fact that no matter how difficult the terrain, one just needs to show up one footstep and one smile at a time to reach the end goal and celebrate the awesomeness of our differences.
In order to raise funds for Up with Downs, a centre in George for people with special needs, Elsa will walk the Pilgrimage of Hope route (from Uniondale to Mossel Bay) from 9-23 May 2022, covering 25 km per day. If you would like to support Elsa and her cause, banking details are:
Up with Downs school
ABSA
Account number: 405 090 1991
Reference: Elsa’s walk
