Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur
Kundapur, Mar 11: A team from Norway, on a mission to spread awareness on child rights and also on The Concerned for Working Children NGO, on Friday March 11 arrived in Kundapur and launched 'Walk of Change' awareness programme at Namma Bhoomi NGO in Kanyana here.
The team, led by Kjetil Utne will undertake a 400-km walk from Kundapur to Bengaluru from Saturday March 11, with an aim to create awareness among people on child rights and bring about a change in society.
The Walk of Change programme held at Namma Bhoomi in this regard was launched by Hattiangady gram panchayat president Rajeev Shetty. Thereafter, a walk was held till Hattiangady gram panchayat as part of the awareness programme.
Kjetil Utne is a coucillor of Trondheim, Norway. A humorist by profession, Utne has been actively propogating child rights through The Concerned for Working Children and has seen the condition of child labourers from a close range. He travels to South Asia every year and makes a study of child labour situation in India and other countries. That's not all, he also hold awareness programmes through The Concerned for Working Children and has even invited children's associations in Kundapur to his country to interact with the youth council members there and learn more on the subject of child rights.
This time, he came to Kundapur with his friends David Rogne, Wenche Slemmelid-Olsen and Beate Sorvik Sommer. The three are all set to leave for Bengaluru on foot.
Along the way, several bodies like Rotary, Lions Club and so on will hold programmes and discussions in different places, in the presence of the Norwegians. This is a unique opportunity for people to learn more about Norway, the importance of child rights, and for the Norwegians to understand and experience Indian culture and lifestyle. The team aims to create a new perspective on the issue of child rights in Karnataka through the walk and a series of discussions. Moreover, after returning to Norway, the team intends to share its experiences and knowledge with the youth and children over there.
The team will walk through Siddapur, Hosangady, Mastikatte, Hosanagar, Shivamogga, Chennagiri, Hosadurg, Shira, Tumakuru and reach Bengaluru on March 30.