Giel Malual and John Kiel walked nearly 1,000 miles from England to Scotland to raise money to build schools in Sudan, but were shocked by what they experienced in the UK
John Kuei and Giel Malual walked 900 miles across the UK(Image: Instagram/@asylum_speakers)
Two men who walked 900 miles from Kent to John O’Groats to raise money to open a school in Sudan has said there was one thing that shocked them about the UK.
Giel Malual and John Kuei, both from Sudan, trekked from Dungeness in Kent to John o’Groats in Caithness over 33 days.
Given the current political climate, Giel admitted he was worried about how he and John would be treated and received on their long journey. However, this was to be the least of their worries as the nation opened its doors to help Giel and John in whatever way they could.
The pair said they were inundated with messages of support from people offering hot meals, free rooms, that some Airbnb hosts refunded them, and that people would stop their cars to chat and make donations.
All of this, Giel said, gave them a greater feeling of the impact of a “loud minority” that hid the truth about the UK.
He told the Guardian: “We hear a lot of negativity from a loud minority in this country…with the political dynamic going on in the country, we thought people may have some reservations about us.
“But we have seen for ourselves there’s nothing to actually fear.”
Beginning in December last year, the pair originally aimed to raise £35,000 to open a school at a Sudanese refugee camp in Chad, but their walk was so warmly received that they have now raised £90,000 and plan to build multiple schools instead.
The pair were supported by Asylum Speakers, an organisation that aims to help amplify the voices of refugees in the UK and which helped support Giel and John logistically on their trip.
After a gruelling 900 mile walk across England and Scotland, Giel and John both made it to their end destination of Duncansby Head lighthouse in Scotland on Wednesday.
Arriving back in London on Thursday, they were met with a heroes welcome. Giel emphasised the “true value” of British society had been people helping them “without judging us based on what we look like”.
Among the examples of the warm welcome the pair received was when they stopped off in Edinburgh where they were welcomed by the Sudanese community who had organised an event to meet.
In a statement on Instagram at the time, Giel said: “It was an emotional moment for me, I have never cried this hard in my life.”