Last weekend, Deborah Walters began a 2,500-mile kayaking journey from her home in Portland, Maine to Guatemala to raise funds and awareness for a nonprofit organization, Safe Passage. The organization is working in Guatemala City to “bring hope, education, and opportunity to the children and families living in extreme poverty around the city’s garbage dump,” the website stated. The program serves more than 550 children in the area. 

The challenge will take Walters about 10 months—the longest kayaking journey of her life. She began volunteering with Safe Passage nine years ago, and it was after visiting the city in person that she decided to provide assistance in an even bigger way. She said the program helps to alleviate border problems, since many Guatemalan children attempt to migrate to the United States because there aren’t enough opportunities for them in their own country. Safe Passage is not only providing education, but helping to improve the quality of life for these children. 

Of the 52,000 children from Central America who have crossed the border since last October, none were from Guatemala City. “We’re looking for the children to have opportunities for a safe life and education in Guatemala,” she told NBC. “It’s another way of looking into how to solve the problem of the children coming across the borders.”

The first section of her trip will pass mainly through the Intracoastal Waterway from Portland to Key West, Florida. While her initial plan was to travel to Central America via the Mexican coast, the likelihood of drug cartels protecting their territories presented a challenge. She decided to travel on a sailboat that will take her to Belize’s barrier reef, at which point she will kayak the remaining distance to Guatemala.

The 63-year-old said she’s taking the trip slow, and will stay with friends and volunteers along the way. At some of the stopping points, Walters will be hosting fundraisers and giving presentations about the cause. The money raised will be donated to help third- and fourth-grade students at the school run by Safe Passage in Guatemala City.

For more information, to donate, or to follow along with Walters’ journey, check out the Safe Passage website.

Image screenshot of video by Tom Pilla/YouTube