On Feb 27th, I set off for Tanzania with an organisation called the Kilimanjaro Initiative (KI), and what followed turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life. Our group consisted of 31 people, 10 of whom were young people and youth leaders from the slums of Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Brazil. As a collective we represented 14 countries, all coming together to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and to encourage young people to have self-belief and to provide opportunities that will enable them to take on a constructive role in their communities. Recognizing that 2010 is an important year for sports, with the World Cup coming to the African continent for the first time, the goal of the KI climb this year was to highlight the importance of sport as a tool for development.
At Horombo hut, with Kili covered in snow in the background
I had wanted to climb Kilimanjaro for many years, but this project gave me the incentive to get on with it, as it provided me with the opportunity to contribute to a project that is so compatible with my work for AfCiC, and it enabled me to shadow and learn from an amazing team of outward bound instructors to learn more about their methods and motivations. My intention is to bring the outward bound ideas and techniques into AfCiC to contribute to our work with vulnerable young people, so watch this space for more on that…
We set out last Monday, and by 11pm on Wednesday evening (after about an hour or two of sleep!) we were beginning the final ascent to the first summit, Gillman’s Point. It was a time of soul searching and a heck of a lot of willpower for everyone in the group, as the high altitude and exhaustion began to take their toll on our long line of hikers and guides as we wound our way in a zig zag formation up the mountain, the way ahead fortuitously illuminated by the full moon. Gritty determination showed on everyone’s face, and gradually a few of the group dropped back, their pace reducing to an agonising slow motion, as a result of exhaustion, or the nausea, shortness of breath and disorientation that high altitude can trigger. Thankfully, with the support of an expert team of local guides and the encouragement of each other (as our disparate group had well and truly developed into a team by this point), the group continued upwards, and ultimately, 28 of the 31 reached Gillman’s point. From Gillman’s we got to watch the sunrise over a lower peak of Kilimanjaro, Mawenzi, and from their 14 of us made our way on to the final summit and the highest point of the mountain, Uhuru Peak, standing at 5895 metres!
At the summit! - Uhuru Peak
The roof of Africa
We spent the next two days descending through the foothills of Kilimanjaro National Park and then returned to our hotel on the Friday night. Everyone was tired but so happy to have achieved so much. The weekend that followed was a chance to relax and reflect on our experiences, before we all separated on Sunday evening, and it was very apparent that the youth involved were taking away a lot of enthusiasm for the future and a much greater faith in what we are capable of, as were the rest of us. It was very inspiring to see what can be possible when people are pushed to their physical limits, and also extremely comforting to see the way in which an effective team can develop out of a group of total strangers.
The whole team pointing to Uhuru!
