The board of Episcopal Relief & Development has generously granted me a sabbatical this fall. As I was thinking about what I wanted to use the time for, I decided that I had a couple of goals for my sabbatical.
First, I wanted a project with a beginning, a middle, and an end. So much of the work of relief & development never ends. There’s always another disaster. Moreover, by some estimates, the pandemic has wiped nearly 20 years of progress in global development away. That more than covers my professional life in this sphere. I’ll keep plugging at it, as will many millions of others, but I need a sense of accomplishing something.
Second, I wanted a project that would challenge me physically. I’m not exactly an elite athlete, or any kind of athlete at all, for that matter. I live and work in my head and when I’m lucky my heart is engaged. However, the challenges I face on a day-to-day basis call on my intellect and not my body. For a little while, I’d like to switch it up.
Finally, I wanted to do something that would support Episcopal Relief & Development’s work with children, Moments That Matter®. The work my organization does nurturing children around the world is some of our most important. The first three years of a child’s life are critical and Moments That Matter focuses intensively on the physical and intellectual development of some of the most vulnerable amongst us. I do this out of gratitude for all that Episcopal Relief & Development has done for me over the 17 years I have been its president.
Therefore, I have decided to use the time to walk the Camino de Santiago from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I plan to start on October 10th and end on November 18th. The walk will be approximately 500 miles over 38 days.
I will be posting updates on this website and on my social media channels (@RobRadtke on both Instagram and Twitter). If you would like to be notified when I’ve posted, please subscribe to my blog.
Please join me as I am Walking the Camino for Lasting Change!
Rob's Reflections 