Night of the Refugees raises 1.27 million euros, about 5,500 people participate

The fourteenth edition of the Night of the Refugees raised 1,270,000 euros, the Refugee Foundation announced on Sunday. A total of 5,500 people participated in the walk, which began on Saturday evening. According to the organizer, the heat did not bother the participants.

The organization had anticipated high temperatures in advance and set up a heat plan. Thus, there were extra water bottles and salty snacks at all rest stops.

The 5500 participants started in Nijmegen, Amersfoort, Rotterdam, Tilburg, and Haarlem for a 10, 20, or 40-kilometer walk. At 06:15 a.m., the first 40-kilometer runners crossed the finish line in Utrecht.

Among the participants this year, according to the organization, there were also many people who had to flee themselves in the past. One of them was Miriam Aljebouri, who fled Iraq in 1997 as a 9-year-old with her parents and siblings. She felt it was special to be able to talk about it during the night walk, the foundation reported in a press release. "It was very nice. Everyone was also very friendly and took good care of each other."

In The Hague, the finish line was on the beach for the first time this year. There, the runners were welcomed by the director of Stichting Vluchteling, Tineke Ceelen. "Last night, with thousands of runners, sponsors, and volunteers, we showed that there is also warmth and great goodwill to help people along the way. I'm proud of the runners, this is not nothing, 40 kilometers in the middle of the night."

On Twitter, Ceelen wrote how moved she was that so many people participated in the event.

"It moves me to see all those runners, sponsors and volunteers working enthusiastically. People on the run are having a harder time than ever, there are more than ever and they are not welcome anywhere. Solidarity and softness predominate during the @NvdV23 .”

Night of the Refugees has been organized by the Refugee Foundation since 2010 to raise awareness of the more than 100 million people who have been displaced from their homes around the world, according to the foundation. The vast majority of them are welcomed "in their own (often poor) region," according to the foundation.

The proceeds from this year's Night of Refugees will go to Syria, Ethiopia, and Sudan, among other countries. With the money raised from the event, the Refugee Foundation can provide immediate aid. This includes basic needs such as shelter, food, and clean drinking water.