War and natural calamities strike with cruel randomness. Their victims lead a life dominated by a singular issue: survival.
Refugee camps and evacuation centers offer only interim shelter. People shiver in their tents during the cold and rainy nights; under the hot sun, sweltering and reptilian, waiting for meals that sometimes do not come. Their days and nights are deadeningly alike. Most of them lapse into some kind of absent stare, a dazed look so as not to be able to focus on the grim reminders of what took place. Each day, desperation looms large as they get more aware of the degeneration of their usefulness.
Refugees fleeing from persecution in their own country have to keep their senses wide open for some hit-and-run operations and to keep moving to stay alive and challenge the corroding fear of the unspecific.
There are no children in war; they are classified as mere casualties. Some countries have hospitably opened their houses to their worse-off neighbors, offered donations, sent relief goods, unlocked their borders, and given asylum.
But things do not change at the push of a button. The mathematics are daunting; we cannot even be sure of their exact count since chaos is incalculable. There are about 25.9 million refugees across the world and this number tallies up as sabotages, incursions, and catastrophes continuing to alter people’s right to an unqualified existence.
There exist some largely conflicted, sometimes divergent attitudes towards the plight of these refugees. The hands-off, avert-the-eyes policy. Being tin-eared to calls for help. Taking a “what-me-worry?” stance. Lending them a helping hand is a humane sentiment but such is not universally shared, with hardly a drop of emotion gotten across. Typhoon Yolanda for instance. We knew it was happening—the downpour affected us—but until the flood and the water surges threatened us, we did not connect.
Pity is not enough. It is not an easy thing to be homeless and displaced.
Marmie Liquigan, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Private Sector Partnerships in the Philippines, and Chep Melchor, the big boy of all 28 Gold’s Gym branches in the country (plus two more branches opening later this year) aim for a solid break in those dark clouds.
To make an impact in celebrating this year’s World Refugee Day on June 20, the UNHCR and Gold’s Gym joined forces, worked out their energies, got involved, and took a stand in helping raise awareness of the refugee situation. Gold’s Gym has about 400,000 gym members, trainers, and employees who have pledged to participate in “The 10-Minute Run Challenge” wherein each participant will clock in as many kilometers as possible within 10 minutes.
According to Melchor the recorded number of kilometers run in 10 minutes is 3.6 kilometers. Gold’s Gym Philippines hopes to accumulate 7,000 kilometers to add to the 2 billion kilometers global target.
If “The 10-Minute Run Challenge” shocks our conscience, it will definitely be a step to see results.
