Five of the 10 nature enthusiasts on a 10-day walk from Lilongwe to Blantyre celebrated the International Women’s Day on March 8 having covered over 180 kilometres of about 350 kilometre trek.

Peggy Banda, Tiyamike and Chisomo Chiudzu, Flora Kamphete and Christabel Maulidi are part of the excursion that started on Martyr’s Day at Bunda Hill in Lilongwe and will end on Sunday at Soche Hill in Blantyre. The aim is to raise K10 million to recruit rangers for Soche Hill which has seen massive degradation and theft.

The female walkers take a pose before planting a tree at Mlangeni Police Training School in Ntcheu

In separate interviews from Nsipe in Ntcheu shortly after starting off their sixth day, the walkers sounded jovial and energetic.

Banda, a banker, said it felt great to celebrate the day in that adventurous walk for nature.

“It feels just great. So far, it has been exciting. It is a challenge worth taking,” she said.

Maulidi, an entrepreneur, also felt great being on the exrcusion.

“Nature is everything. That is why they say mother nature. Being a woman, I feel I am a flower. Flowers must be protected, that is why we are in this walk,” she said.

For Tiyamike, the walk is just proof that women can do what men can do.

“We must take up challenges. There should be no barriers. We should never fear challenges,” she said.

Kamphete said she believed it was a privilege to be part of the team while Chisomo urged people not to look down women as they too can achieve ‘the greatest of feats’.

According to the group’s leader Yangairo Yangairo, the walk is fine but the donations and sponsorship were slow in coming. However, he hoped that as they approached Chingeni they would pick up.

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