Ask anyone about Mt Kilimanjaro and a range of responses fly in about celebrities that made it – Cheryl Cole/Fernandez/whoever next, Chris Moyles and Fearne Cotton to those that did not, including Roman Abramovich and Martina Navratilova. Of those that did make it many (including Jessica Biel) have stated that it is the hardest thing they have done. It is quickly clear that ascending the highest mountain in Africa and the highest freestanding mountain in the world is going to be no walk in the park.
Kilimanjaro is climbed by a lot of people every year and is on many people’s bucket list but it’s still a huge mountain so as a group we are increasingly concerned at the enormity of the task ahead. Collective wisdom is that it’s the speed of the ascent on the heavily trodden five-day Marangu route which often catches people out with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) so therefore we decided to follow the slower and less visited Lemosho route taking us five days. Famous UAE explorer Adrian Hayes remarked that “Most guidelines recommend 500 metres max elevation per day; on Kili you are twice that. I got the worst AMS I’ve ever suffered on a mountain.” Suddenly the full scale of our fund raising walk up a mountain has just got a lot more real. Lemosho, a relatively new route, is preferred by reputable operators due to its beauty, remoteness and success rate. In short, it maximizes the chances that a climber will have of reaching the summit, and enjoying the overall experience.
For three geography nerds and Neil, however, the temptation to go from the equivalent of the Equator to the North Pole in terms of scenery diversity and climate is too strong to resist so we have set about raising money for the Upendo Children’s home in Moshi whilst getting into peak fitness. The team consists of four individuals; Sancho Barcia, a seventeen year old student at Repton School Dubai. Michele Longhi, a fellow student of Sancho’s. Ben Thompson, a Geography Teacher at Repton School and finally Neil Davies.
Our chosen charity is The Upendo Children’s home and it is a non-profit orphanage located in Moshi, Tanzania for local children. Some of them lost their mothers during delivery, other newborns were left behind in the hospital and others were abandoned on the streets.
A group of caring nuns known as the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, along with groups of volunteers, provide the children from infancy onwards with food, shelter and love, as well as basic education. Baby food is expensive in Tanzania, thus making it impossible for many families to take care of a baby whose mother has died. Many local children born into poverty do not receive any education because their families are unable to pay for it, let alone pay for their livelihood.
In our quest to help the Upendo Children’s Home, two members of the team, Michele and Sancho, will be volunteering for ten days in the orphanage, teaching basic maths and English, caring for babies and disabled children and assisting in local construction work. Spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the children will give Sancho and Michele a real taste of what it’s like for the Sisters of the Precious Blood that work there.
In order for this project to be possible, we rely on your support, and the children rely on your support. You can find more information about this at the end of the article
From left: Michele, Sancho, Ben and Neil.
Currently we have received a large corporate donation from Hi-force Hydraulic which together with smaller individual donations mean we have 25% of our intended 40,000 dirham target raised.
Our training for this expedition has already begun as the Lemosho route is approximately 70 km/42 miles from gate to gate. It is designed for physically fit people with some hiking experience. Sancho and Michele are keen runners and cyclists with two triathlons behind them this year, Neil is increasing his running distance this week and Ben is following a plan designed by “Freeletics” — the aim being to increase our VO2 max and follow in the footsteps of Jessica Biel preferably, or as a last resort, those of Chris Moyles.
The Kili Quartet is composed of Geography teacher Ben Thompson, students Sancho Barcia and Michele Longhi and Neil Davies on a quest to climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Their journey sees them preparing for the fateful climb as a group of friends for the cause of helping children in Tanzania as well as teaching them math and English. To support their cause visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/upendo-childrens-home-fund-raiser or follow the climb at www.facebook.com/uchkiliclimb
Words + Photos by: Ben Thompson
