Walking People Out of Poverty started in 2014 when Peter Thorpe decided to take his hobby of hiking some of the worlds great walks with making a difference.
That year Peter struck out on walking the 1,014KM South West Coast Path in England which he did over a two year period. In 2018 Peter set his sites higher by looking to tackle the infamous Pacific Coast Trail, a 4,265 KM trek from Mexico to Canada which he aims to do over 3 years.
To date the Walking People Out of Poverty has raised an incredible $365K for Opportunity International Canada.
Peter's contagious enthusiasm for change continues to catch on. This year, he is joined by OIC Board Chair John Mach and CEO Dan Murray. Together, they will walk 700+ km covering the final stretch from the Pacific Crest Trail.
Get Involved
SPONSOR THE WALK
Show your business support and become a sponsor. There are sponsorship levels of all sizes avalible.
Make a Donation
Put an end to the cycle of poverty and start a transformation. Give a gift to provide hope and dignity.
Meet The Walkers
Peter in Rwanda with Opportunity International client Beata
Peter Thorpe
Hiking developed as a passion in his teens, and Peter is happiest when he's out in the wild with his back-pack on.
He has a motor that just will not stop. And Peter wants to use this for a good cause.
He has always been drawn to people doing something for themselves, instead of expecting a handout, and that is why he's chosen to partner with Opportunity International Canada.
Dan with a client in Nicaragua
JOHN MACH, BOARD CHAIR, OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL
John Mach serves as Board Chair for Opportunity International Canada. With extensive experience in credit union systems and the banking sector, John has a personal passion for our mission and empowering individuals living in poverty through micro-finance and financial inclusion.
His energetic leadership and commitment have endeared himself to our staff, board, and donors. He is an advocate on the personal level and together with his wife Dawne, they have taken it under their own steam to show up in several cities to come alongside and support OIC events.
This August, he is taking his commitment to another level by walking 700+ KM alongside Peter and Dan, as part of Walking People Out of Poverty.
DAN MURRAY, CEO, OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL
Dan Murray has been the CEO of Opportunity International Canada since November 2018. He is inspired by Opportunity’s mission to help emerging entrepreneurs transform their lives, families and communities. He strongly believes his primary role as CEO is to inspire, support and serve Opportunity International Canada’s leaders and staff as they execute the mission with excellence.
Dan is excited to walk alongside Peter and OIC Board Chair in this year’s Walking People Out of Poverty. Their goal is to raise much need funds for OIC’s Implementing Partner in Nicaragua, ASODENIC.
In 2019, Dan had the privilege of working alongside ASODENIC’s Executive Director, Juan Ulloa. Together, they mapped out a plan to increase ASODENIC’s impact, but sadly we lost Juan in 2019 to COVID. Dan’s decision to be part of Walking People Out of Poverty was born out of his commitment to Juan, which he has since renewed with their new Executive Director, Diana Montoya.
As an avid biker and lover of the outdoors, he looks forward to taking in the beauty of the incredible Pacific Crest Trail. Dan lives in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, with his wife, Brenda. They have three amazing adult children, one awesome daughter-in-law, and a crazy beagle named Finnegan.
About The Logo
The logo is set on the outline of the Pacific Crest Trail crest with the feet of our clients and of Peter together. The vision for this walk is to enhance partnership and community to transform the lives of all involved.
Peter has partnered with Opportunity International who comes alongside our clients, providing them with a small loan, to empower them to step out of poverty.
Name: The name is taken from Peter's walk (in 2014 and 2015) of over 1000km in England's South West Coast Path where he helped to raise over $200k to empower Opportunity clients to walk out of poverty.
Barefoot: The barefoot symbolizes our clients who currently live in poverty, without much, matched with the hiking boot to represent partnership and progression out of poverty.
Boot: The boot represent the aim of Opportunity and Peter to walk alongside and empower our clients, who lead the way, to transform their lives. Opportunity is built on the model of a hand up, not a hand out.
Sign: The Pacific Crest Trail crest is the same shape of our logo representing the iconic trail featured in the movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon.
Color: The teal color represents the earthy tones of the Pacific Crest Trail. The teal is also used in the logo for Opportunity International representing our partnership and collaboration.
Contact Us
For any questions about this Walking People Out of Poverty, please contact:
Anita Hintz at ahintz@opportunityinternational.ca