by Natalie Charette

In Canada, Engineers Without Borders strives to make Canadians model global citizens by having them contribute to and connect with actions on the ground across Africa. One of the best examples of this is The Run to End Poverty, a half marathon that is mirrored by a run in Africa. The run, founded by Christian Beaudrie, is a fantastic way for people in Canada to connect with the communities that EWB works with in Africa. The run acts as a medium to raise awareness about poverty and to raise funds to send EWB volunteers overseas.

Christian has been involved with EWB for over five years, first being involved with the McGill University Chapter, then spending two years overseas with EWB in Ghana, and most recently at the Vancouver Professional Chapter. While working for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in Tamale, Ghana, Christian met other people who shared his love for running. It was then that Christian, along with his friend Dan Zakaria realized that running was a fun way for people to connect.

"While overseas, I knew that half of the challenge of international development was getting people back in Canada to recognize the difference that individuals can make by supporting an organization like EWB. As a seasoned runner, I felt that I could tap into the passion and energy that runners have towards their sport, and create a unique venue for building support for international development."

They organized a half-marathon around the MOFA office in Tamale which included 30 people from all walks of life; Ghanaians and development workers alike all shared in their passion for running. The runners in Ghana, along with three Montreal based EWB chapters who organized a simultaneous half-marathon, ran in solidarity in an effort to raise awareness of extreme poverty in Africa.

Building upon the success of the first run in Montreal, Christian organized a second run in June, 2008 in Vancouver. This year’s run in Vancouver was a tremendous success as well. Over 30 runners signed up to run, and collectively raised over $10,000, surpassing their goal.

The funds raised by the run will go toward sending two EWB volunteers to Africa. For more information check out http://www.runtoendpoverty.ca/.