Imagine walking 15 miles in one day.

Sound exhausting? Now imagine walking that far every day for about nine months.

Barrett Keene, 31, began his 3,475-mile walk across America from Seventh Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on Saturday to raise awareness and funds for the Global Orphan Project .

All of the money he raises will go to the organization, which has 100 percent commitment — meaning that every penny goes straight to the children. The group aims to support orphaned children through education and creating jobs.

Proceeds will come from generous supporters, who can pledge donations on his website. He has already raised over $5,000.

The goal is to raise enough to buy 25,000 uniforms in regions of Africa and Haiti where children are not allowed to attend school without one. The uniforms cost about $20 each.

Keene went to Haiti last June and was struck by the dire situations.

“Man, we’ve got to do something about this,” he said.

Keene, a former Miami middle school teacher, says he was not satisfied with how much he was doing to support orphans. Though he has worked with orphaned and underprivileged children throughout Central and South America, he is currently seeking his doctorate at Cornell University in New York. Keene says he was not comfortable knowing it would be several years before he could get out and begin to help people again.

“I was praying [about] how could I combine my two passions, for education and helping orphans, and it just kind of hit me,” he said.

Along his trek, Keene plans to stop at universities, churches, charities and other organizations that welcome him to speak.

Though he has already begun his walk, Keene does not yet have a support vehicle to travel with him for protection and in case of any emergencies.

“It’s going to be challenging,” he said.

He is being sponsored by LegacyChamp.com, a fitness website that is paying his expenses as he walks, allowing him to give all the proceeds to the Global Orphan Project.

For Keene, the actual walk will be the most difficult part. “Just the physical nature is going to be really hard,” he said. “But if my knee hurts one day, I just won’t walk the next.”

He plans to take it slow while walking through Florida, which he expects will take him a month. He will be spending nights at friends’ houses along the way. Once he is out of Florida, however, he does not have overnight locations set up. He is bringing a tent with him in the hopes that he will find supporters along the way who will allow him to camp in their backyards.

“I do believe that God is going to open some door.”

He expects to reach San Francisco, his final destination, in September and invites people to walk with him along the way.

“I know there will be a lot of days where I’ll be solo, and that’s OK,” Keene said. “It’s going to be an adventure.”