Thank you: Joe Walker concludes Kampala to Fort Portal trek
By Joe Walker
The #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk came to a conclusion yesterday with a series of activities around Fort Portal city. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the team, let me take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for all the support.
A big shout out to everyone who stopped their daily activities to participate in our engagements, the community leaders who mobilised people to attend and participate in our interactive sessions, and everyone who stopped to give us a bottle of water, sugarcane and bananas. A big thank you also goes to roadside communities who cheered us on when the energy was running low and feet were getting heavier.
We also thank the schools that offered their facilities for our overnight camping when we had no alternative for a place to lay our heads and for granting us a platform to share the road safety message with the students. Kyakatebe Primary School, Kiregesa Primary School, Kyenjojo Secondary School, St Leo’s College Kyegobe and Uganda Pentecostal University, we appreciate you.
To all the roadside restaurants that took our orders and had the patience to keep our food warm when we took several hours to arrive before the scheduled time, to lodges, motels and hotels that gladly hosted us especially Palm Star Motel that offered us accommodation for all the time we were in Fort Portal – thank you.
A special heartfelt thank you goes out to individuals who responded to my personal appeal and sent us some money when we’re running very low on resources. The special angels who sent us money before we asked for help have no idea the difference they made – it was amazing. To the families who welcomed us into your homes with open arms and shared a meal with us, we pray God’s blessings upon you all.
To our corporate sponsors – Jubilee Allianz, Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda, Stanbic Bank, and National Drug Authority, we just can’t thank you enough. Your partnership and collaboration has no price tag. Thank you for believing in the initiative and trusting us to carry your brand. The support in cash and in kind made a huge difference in putting together the logistics for a successful campaign. Thank you.
To the media led by my “parents” Nation Media Group, without you streaming and beaming our road safety message to your audiences, we would be winking in the dark.
To our road safety partners the Police, I really can’t thank you enough, we have never experienced this kind of support, openness and sharing freely and participation in the road safety activities. The same passion and enthusiasm in enforcement will make our roads safer.
A big and heartfelt appreciation to our hosts; the Mayor Mubende municipality and his team whose welcome and participation in our campaign were simply amazing; the Mayor and the leadership of Fort Portal city who were responsive to our calls; and the amazing St. John’s Cathedral Kabarole and Bishop Patrick Kyaligonza Road Safety Programme who walked some mileage with us. We are grateful to the collaboration led by Hon. Alex Ruhunda, for the procession we had in town, the sensitisation activities and the Zebra painting in the city. We deeply appreciate the partnership, it made a big difference.
To our hosts Obukama bwa Tooro and His Majesty King Oyo, we are simply speechless. The welcome at the border, the road safety activities in Kyegegwa and Kyenjojo, the experience at King Oyo’s model farm, the reception at the King’s Palace, and the session at Rukiiko truly honored us.
We appreciate the support of the Government of Uganda through the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala who flagged us off. We are bringing the report of our walk, the findings and how we can improve the roads, and make them safer to save lives.
To our prayer partners, thank you for persistently and consistently covering us with the blood of Jesus. With Him everything is impossible and the success of this walk is a true testament.
To the #JoeWalker management team who are amazing, meticulous, and selfless guys and make miracles every day, and to the #JoeWalkers…keep on and on.
Thank you honey @Akeda3 for embracing and supporting my madness; may God use our efforts to make the roads safer one step at a time.
Everyone deserves to #GetHomeSafe
#TooYoungToDie
