Members of Roadwork Run Club, a Kigali-based running club, and other sports enthusiasts met Jordanian adventurer Saddam Alaya at Amahoro Stadium on October 11 to support his peace walk, exchange experiences and learn from his journey.

About 40 people, including Jordanians living in Rwanda, attended the gathering, which featured a walk around the stadium’s training pitch followed by an interactive discussion in which Alaya shared his experiences and answered questions from participants.

Alaya is walking 23,000 kilometres from South Africa to Russia to promote peace and children’s education. He began the journey on January 1 and was on day 284 when he met the group in Kigali.

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Rwanda is the 62nd country he has visited and the seventh country on his peace-walk route.

Innocent Mugenga, co-founder of Roadwork Run Club, told The New Times that the gathering was organised to welcome Alaya, show solidarity with his mission and offer him moral support.

"We are here to welcome and support someone undertaking an incredible initiative by walking a very long distance. We are here mainly to offer moral support,” he said.

Mugenga noted that the gathering was not primarily about the distance participants would cover alongside Alaya, but rather about standing behind his mission and learning from his experiences.

Alaya, meanwhile, described the meeting and his stay in Rwanda as exceptional, saying the warm reception had made him feel at home.

"I love being here. I feel so welcomed, comfortable and at home, as if I were among my own family,” he said.

He added that his time in Rwanda had also been an opportunity to learn from Rwandans, particularly from the country’s progress and the warmth with which people had welcomed and supported him throughout his journey.

"The success story you have built and the inspiration I am receiving from everyone are extraordinary,” he said.

"If heaven has a park somewhere on Earth, it must be Rwanda,” he added.

Alaya praised Rwandans for their kindness and hospitality, saying people frequently smiled at him, offered him food and volunteered to help him along the way. He also commended the country’s cleanliness and thanked Visit Rwanda, the police and others for supporting his journey.

"I had been recording videos throughout my journey and sharing them with my followers, even challenging them to identify rubbish on the roads,” he said.

Although he has been carrying the Jordanian flag throughout his walk, Alaya said his experiences in Rwanda had fostered a strong sense of connection with the country.

"I am proud to be Jordanian. But I would also love to say that I am proud of being Rwandan,” he said.

Alaya has so far spent three weeks in Rwanda. During his stay, he was joined on the peace walk by Rwandan long-distance walker Rosine Bazongere, who said his journey had challenged her to rethink her own limits.

Bazongere said that although she had participated in long-distance walks, she had never undertaken anything on the scale of Alaya’s journey.

"Seeing what Alaya is doing has taught me that we sometimes limit ourselves and underestimate what we can achieve,” she said.

Alaya is expected to leave Rwanda for Uganda on October 17 as he continues his journey towards Russia.