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The fifth annual Kilimanjaro Initiative (KI) climb to the summit of “the rooftop of Africa” steps off in Tanzania on 1 March under the banner, “Sport for Development and Peace.” Ten youth from impoverished areas of Brazil, Burundi, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania will lead the ascent joined by representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, the private sector and United Nations Federal Credit Union. Their goal: to raise awareness and funds to build stronger communities in East Africa.
Each year, the climb, a metaphor for overcoming life’s obstacles, has enabled more young women and men to take on constructive roles in their societies from forming safety patrols to starting businesses and organizing peace marches. Their lives are changed forever.
Should you like to make a charitable contribution:
UNFCU Members
- Login to Internet Banking
- Click on “Online Forms”
- Complete the “Kilimanjaro Contribution” form
Non-UNFCU Members, including family and friends, can send checks payable to the:
Kilimanjaro Initiative
UNFCU
24-01 44th Road
Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
ATTN: Kilimanjaro Initiative
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| Messages From the Mountain |
| Tim Challen (3/6/2010 12:36:51 AM): |
| So Kilimanjaro Initiative climb 2010 has come to an end. As a summary - I think of Douglas, a young man from a Favela in Rio de Janeiro and representing the organisation Fight for Peace, forming strong ties with East African youth (he came here wanting to learn English and now speaks more Swahili). I think of Richard, a young man from Burundi who works as an instructor for Peace and Sport and helps with reconciliation in his country, refusing to let altitude sickness prevent him from going on top of the African continent. I think of Mokgadi, a young South African lady representing Play Soccer, who proudly carried her national flag to the summit, whilst making us all emotional with her singing about life in Johannesburg. I think of Kibui, a young woman from a Nairobi slum walking side by side and developing a strong bond with Mitzie, a lawyer from Antigua and Barbuda. I think of Mr. Connery, UNFCU President and CEO, sitting at Gilmans point with his daugther and other climbers, after a gruelling ascent through the boulders and looking at the glaciers as they appeared in the sun. I think of John from Kibera helping Harriet, a friend of mine from Dar es Salaam, down the mountain as she had hurt her knee. I could go on and on with these kind of memories... Ultimately, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a great leveller. The exercise has brought people together from different backgrounds on a common platform and helped create new bonds and understandings that may not have been possible otherwise. Sport has that power! And in an age where unfortunately money and ego seem to rule, we have been reminded and have demonstrated that underneath it all lies a very human and unbreakable spirit that is often forgotten. Kilimanjaro Initiative will continue to try and bring this spirit to the forefront, not only on the mountain but also in communities. We keep walking on... On that note, I bid you farewell. And if you would like to climb with us next year - Karibu (welcome), as they say in Swahili. tchallen@unfcu.com |
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| Tim Challen (3/5/2010 5:57:35 PM): |
| Day 5 - 'low battery'- this is the message I got on my Blackberry when I switched on the phone in the morning (preventing me from writing sooner). And this is exactly how everyone felt after reaching the summit of Africa and getting back down the mountain - Exhausted!. After waking up today at 7 am, we walked from Horombo to the park gate at Marangu - 6 hours of stumbling down rocks and stepping over roots. Upon arrival, we organised a tipping event and thanked the porters and guides for helping us onto the roof of Africa. Without them we would never have made it. At dinner we asked climbers to summarize their climb. The overall theme that came out was the sense of unity that the climb brought about... |
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| Tim Challen (3/4/2010 2:18:23 PM): |
| Day 4, 9:30pm - the last 36 hours have been very long and hard. We left Kibo hut last night at 11:30 pm, after having already walked throughout that day. The dry cold wind made this climb one the toughest I can remember, as breathing was more difficult then usual. In relation to those who made it up onto the roof of Africa, I hadn't fully checked with our guides when I sent the last blog (from an icy cold ridge at 5,700 meters), as we were still in the midst of the climb - In total 28 climbers made it to Gilimans point (on the crater rim), of which 14 went onto Uhuru peak which is the highest point of the crater at 5,890 meters above sea level. More importantly every climber came back down in one piece. But Mount Kilimanjaro really tests people to their full limits. My thoughts go to John today, a young man from Kibera slum in Nairobi, who helped us upgrade a sports field in his community. He was the last person to reach the summit, and as I passed him on my way back down, I could see he was in great pain but giving every square inch of his energy. The youth we have sponsored in the past have gained great fortitude from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, helping them deal with certain community and family issues. This is part of what the climb is about, giving young people the belief that they can go that extra mile. |
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| Tim Challen (3/4/2010 12:59:02 AM): |
| Day 4, 9am, 5700meters - a group of 20 climbers made it to the summit. It was a hard long night and we still have 30km still to walk until our hut for the night. But we managed to unroll our banner 'sport for development and peace' on the roof of Africa. |
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| Tim Challen (3/2/2010 11:18:56 PM): |
| Day 3, 7am. Everyone is awake and fine enough to continue. Those who got up early enough were able to watcht the sun rise over Tsavo, and shed a pink light over Mawenzi and Kibo. The next 36 hours will be the hardest for most climbers, as we will be walking close to 40km to the summit and and bck to Horombo, and where in some places there will only be 50 percent of normal levels of oxygen. It will also be one of the most memorable. The spirit is great and we will all try our best. |
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| Tim Challen (3/2/2010 11:21:13 AM): |
| Day 2, 7 pm. Crime is still a big problem in Nairobi. Just last week 2 well-known restaurants were attacked by gangs, staff and customers asked to hand over their valuables at gun point. I know of 2 people who were carjacked in the last month. One of the youth climbing with us is from Jericho, an estate/slum in the eastern part of Nairobi where many criminals come from. It is said that 60 percent of prisoners at Kimati high security prison in Nairobi are from Jericho. The young man is part of a soccer team that engages and is made up of at-risk youth in Jericho. Since word has got out in the community that this young man was climbing Kilimanjaro and following a popular sport radio show we did in Nairobi last week, I have been told that the team has grown from 20 to at least 40 strong. This is not to say that KI has all the answers - it shows that changing mentalities is essential for durable solutions especially in relation to crime prevention. Our aim now will be to see how we can continue and help this group. By the way, the youth who shot me 6 years ago during an armed robbery are said to be from Jericho... Back to Horombo, all is good. the summit just showed itslef for the first time and we shall now retire to our sleepong bags. Goodnight. |
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| Tim Challen (3/2/2010 8:45:54 AM): |
| Day 2, 4pm, Horombo Hut, 3700 meters. Now I have a valid excuse if I make a spelling mistake, as it is now that most people start feeling the effects of high altitude (every one is fine by the way). If you are wondering how I send this blog, it is suprisingly easy. I have my blackberry with me and type a message on a web link (that my colleague Carlos set up) - 2 seconds later it is on the UNFCU website. Right now I can see the town of Moshi at a distance far below and it is probably from there that I get the signal. It gets more tricky as we go higher up, and you have to pick your spots to send messages - luckily I know quite a few from past climbs. Anyway, 2 seconds from Kilimanjaro to your computer. How long before people knew about Sherpa Tenzin and Hillary conquered Everest? 3 weeks? Amazing what humans can achieve... |
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| Tim Challen (3/2/2010 2:35:06 AM): |
| Day 2, 10:30 am - we are now nmakin our way through the alpine tundra. Cloudy and windy with some pockets of blue sky. The group is quite close together and we slowly making our way along the track... |
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| Tim Challen (3/1/2010 11:14:56 PM): |
| Day 2 - 7am. Just been round the A-framed huts to see how every climber was doing. Apart from a couple of headaches and an upset stomach - nothing serious. Most of the people did not sleep well but that's probably due to a little anxiety in regards to what lies ahead and the comforts of a sleeping bag, rather thab the effects of altitude. People are now having there breakfast. We will be leaving for an 8 hour walk at 8 am. |
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| Tim Challen (3/1/2010 1:27:38 PM): |
| 9pm at Mandara Huts and all are in their sleeping bags - even the Collobus monkeys have gone quiet. We walked for a good 5 hours today and we have a lot more to go... |
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| Tim Challen (3/1/2010 11:20:58 AM): |
| 7 pm - Mandara Hut, 2700 meters. We arrived at the hut 40 minutes ago, after a long meandering walk through the forest. Climbers are currently having tea and dinner will be served a little bit later. As mentioned earlier, we are 31 climbers - representing 14 different countries, from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Burundi, Italy, Kenya and Tanzania to South Africa. We also have a number of people from the US, most notably UNFCU President and CEO, Michael J. Connery Jr. This is the second time he is climbing the mountain and his participation is indicative of UNFCU's support of Kilimanjaro Initiative - it goes beyond corporate giving. In addition, we also have a UNFCU member and one of our vendors as part of the team. |
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| Tim Challen (3/1/2010 5:22:43 AM): |
| After taking photos in front of our 'Sport for Development and Peace' Banner, with all climb 2010 partner logos displayed, including UNFCU, One UN, Peace and Sport and Play Soccer, we have just walked through the park gate. After months of preparation, the climb has begun! |
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| Tim Challen (3/1/2010 4:25:08 AM): |
| Climb - Day 1. After an early breakfast, climbers went to gather their bags and brought them to the courtyard of the hotel. Guides and hotel staff got started with logistics, weighing food and equipment needed on the mountain. At this point, you feel like this is as much an expedition as a climb. In total we are 31 climbers (a couple of late cancellations) and therefore have a supporting crew of 2 chief guides, 13 guides, 1 cook and 41 porters. After introductiond were made, we packed up and are now at the park gate filling out the registration forms. |
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| Tim Challen (2/28/2010 2:02:05 PM): |
| This afternoon we went to visit a community group we have been supporting for the past couple of years, here in Marangu. As well as calling ourselves Kilimanjaro Initiative and working with youths in urban centres, we also felt we should help youth on the mountain where we got our name. After all, rural to urban migration is a growing problem, with many cities not able to accomodate a large influx of people. We have sponsored the group's carpentry workshop and trained them in neighbourhood watch activities based on the condition they patrol the community at night and help deter crime in the area. They have been earning praise from their elders. Naigzy Gebremedhin, a former UNEP specialist who is planning to celebrate his 75th year at the summit of Africa, brought a tree seedling to plant next to the workshop. "Plan for the future and one day our children will be able to sit in the shade of a tree" he said with emotion and we can only but agree. 14 hours and a good night sleep to go before the climb begins... |
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| Tim Challen (2/28/2010 4:29:03 AM): |
| One more day to go before climb begins - Apart from a couple of people who suffered from mosquito attacks during the night, it seems all others had a good night sleep - it's important to rest and recharge one's bateries and decompress from work as much as possible before the ascent begins. Mama Dora, the lady in charge of climbing gear at the hotel where we are staying is busy checking everyone has all the right equipment for the days ahead. Otherwise, whilst waiting for their own equipment check climbers are relaxing, chatting, and playing football. But you can sense some tension - I am getting a lot of questions in relation to high altitude and what may lay ahead on the mountain... |
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| Tim Challen (2/27/2010 3:51:04 PM): |
| After a very long journey, we arrived in Marangu, at the foot of Kilimanjaro. We have met up with the rest of the group anf after dinner a late dinner, climbers have gone off to sleep - they will need all the rest they can get, in view of the days ahead... |
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| Tim Challen (2/27/2010 4:57:39 AM): |
| Having packed up our minibus, we left Nairobi at 8 this morning. We have just passed the Namanga border crossing and are making our way along a very bumpy road to Arusha. This morning, 10 youth from Brazil, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa left their 10-day long training camp on the other side of Mount Kiliamjaro and we shall be meeting at base camp in Marangu later in the day. I will tell you more about these young women and men as we climb. This project revolves around them... |
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| Tim Challen (2/26/2010 9:56:10 PM): |
| Hello, my name is Tim Challen and I am a Bussiness Development Associate at UNFCU. I am also the Founder of Kilimanjaro Initiative. Over the next few days, I will be keeping a blog in relation to our 5th annual climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. I am currently in Nairobi and in 2 hours I set off with a group of 20 people overland to Marangu, Tanzania, where we will meet up with the rest of our group. In total we shall be 35 climbers and our goal will not only be to reach the rooftop of Africa but also demonstrate how sport is such an important tool for community and individual development. |
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