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Wellington Skyline to Sea Challenge for Ukraine 15th April 2022

  • Thank you everybody - we beat our $10,000 target

      15 May 2022
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    Thank you to everyone that donated.

    I would also like to pass on this message from UNICEF Aotearoa:

    "just how grateful we were to receive your tremendous support, and obviously the support from your group of 20 walkers, and all 178 donors who gave generously to your Skyline to Sea Challenge in support of Ukrainian children and families. What an amazing feat to achieve. And to see that your fundraising target kept climbing, as more and more people jumped on board and donated was amazing too.

    I can see in the photos on your givealittle page that the event was a real family affair, involving young and old. This is fitting, as the incredible sum of money you’ve raised will be used to support both Ukrainian children, and families, doing it tough right now".

    Thank you.

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  • Fundraising target raised for third time

      16 April 2022

    Everyone has been so generous. The walk is done but there is still time to donate for this most urgent cause to raise funds to support children and families in Ukraine. Let's get to $10000

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  • Walk for Ukraine completed - nearly $9000 raised

      16 April 2022
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    On one of those perfect Wellington days a group of 22 carried the Ukrainian flag 35 kms from Khandallah and Mount Kaukau all the way down to the south coast to raise money for UNICEF's support for children and families.

    Spirits were high throughout despite the inevitable blisters and false promises of "this is the last hill of note". Most of the group finished together in 10 hours.

    A real highlight was morning tea including Lithuanian Lazy Cake – yum! – kindly provided by one of the January walk participants.

    The biggest cheer at the end was for two special ladies who started early at 6am and finished last nearly 12 hours later.

    The flag and our eclectic mix of yellow and blue attire attracted plenty of interest from other walkers and lots of commitments to donate to the cause.

    Having fun with friends, and making new friends, in perfect weather and landscapes, felt bitter sweet at times when we reflected on the awful experiences of the children and families for whom we were walking. How lucky we are!

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  • Target raised to $9000

      14 April 2022

    Thanks to everyone's generosity fundraising is going really well and we are this morning approaching our revised target of $7500 target. We can do more. The situation in Ukraine is truly awful.

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  • The amazing scale of UNICEF's support in Ukraine

      13 April 2022
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    Here's how UNICEF is helping children and families in need:

    Ensuring enough pre-positioned humanitarian supplies are available for 8 million people, in strategic locations throughout Ukraine.

    Providing life-saving medical supplies reaching 719,370 people through hospitals and maternity homes in Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr.

    Reaching over 239,465 people have been reached with drinking water and hygiene supplies in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv and Lviv.

    Supporting 'Blue dot' centres at various cross-border locations to offer exhausted refugee families support, including:

    food

    hygiene supplies

    mental health and psychosocial support

    basic legal counselling

    early education kits (a few toys, puzzles and games to keep young children engaged)

    referrals to local services and other information

    Trucking safe water to conflict-affected areas where water systems are barely functioning.

    Reaching 64,508 children with recreational activities, psychosocial support and life skills education including provision of educational and recreational supplies.

    Providing protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.

    Mobile mental health and psychosocial support units.

    Supporting around 40,000 households with vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, to receive multi-purpose cash transfers.

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  • New target of $7500

      11 April 2022
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    Thanks to everyone's generosity fundraising is going really well and we have this morning passed our initial $5000 target. I think we can raise half as much again. The situation in Ukraine is truly awful.

    By 5 April, around 4.3 million refugees had fled Ukraine, with women and children making up 90 per cent of the refugee population. Millions more people have been internally displaced.

    UNICEF is working with partners to reach vulnerable children and families with essential services – including health, education, protection, water and sanitation – as well as life-saving supplies.

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  • Final weekend of training for the big day

      10 April 2022
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    It's the final weekend before the big walk. 37kms over 10 hours is an interesting distance to prepare for. For the walk in January on the same route we found doing half the walk on consecutive weekends to work well. You don't want to do much only five days out.

    The team of lovely people pictured walked most of the 14km Skyline Walkway. Another member did nearly 18kms in the wilds of Wainui. Personally I only had time to scoot up and down Kaukau three days in a row so I should be good for the first 30 minutes of the route!

    If you're out and about in Wellington on Good Friday look up to the hills for a Ukraine flag surrounded by a group of walkers in matching colours, and give us a cheer, and better still a donation towards UNICEF's urgent work to support children in war-torn Ukraine.

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  • Advance party finish the Skyline to Sea Challenge for Ukraine

      3 April 2022
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    Last Sunday gale force southerlies meant that two of our group, who were aiming to complete the challenge a few weeks early, had to call it a day after 10 hours. This morning they returned, supported by a few colleagues, to complete the course. Their roundabout route meant they had completed 46kms, more than a marathon. A fantastic effort by Nina and Belynda (first and third from left).

    While completing the last part of the walk along the beach we met a lovely older gentleman from Ukraine. His gratitude for what we were doing for the children of his country really brought home the importance of UNICEF's work.

    Please donate to the cause if you feel able or share the link with your family and friends. Thank you

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  • How is UNICEF supporting children in Ukraine?

      31 March 2022
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    One month into the war, 4.3 million (>50%) of Ukraine's children have been displaced, one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II. Such large displacements could have lasting consequences for generations to come.

    UNICEF is working around the clock to scale up life-saving programmes for children and their families. This includes:

    • Ramping up efforts to meet critical and escalating needs for safe water, health care, education and protection.

    • Delivering family hygiene kits, baby diapers, maternal health kits, institutional hygiene kits, disinfectants and bottled water to health and social institutions in eastern Ukraine.

    • Increasing the number of mobile child protection teams working between conflict lines.

    • Working with UNHCR and partners to activate Blue Dot hubs – one-stop safe spaces for children and women. Blue Dots provide key information to travelling families, help to identify unaccompanied and separated children and ensure their protection.

    www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children

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  • Advance party brave southerlies to complete 31 of 37kms

      26 March 2022
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    Four of the Skyline to Sea for UNICEF Ukraine team who are away for the main event on Good Friday completed most of the 37km course today. Battling very strong southerly winds the team walked from Khandallah Park all the way to the Radome/Hawkins Hill in ten hours carrying a Ukraine flag all the way. Nina has set the standard for the blue and yellow dress code. A superb effort from Nina, Athar, Belynda and Adrienne with great support from Ansu.

    Please contribute to our fundraising for Ukraine's children (UNICEF) if you can and share the fundraising page link with your family and friends.

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