 |
| English: January 15, 1938. Mt. Kilimanjaro: The snow-capped summit containing the nearly perfect crater is flanked by deep furrows of lava flow and glacial erosion. C. 20000 feet. C. 07:00. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Six Nigerian professionals are
embarking on a 6-day hike to the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest
mountain. This is happening as part of a fundraising drive for the Lagos based
Down Syndrome Foundation. The Charity
climb tagged Climb for Down syndrome, the brain child of Inspired by Charity, a
social enterprise, is scheduled to take place 16th-23rd August, 2014 in
Tanzania.
The hiking party hopes to use the
climb to raise awareness about Down syndrome and help to raise 10,000,000 naira
for the Down Syndrome Foundation (DSF). DSF is a
renowned charity that works to provide leadership, support and advocacy in all
areas of concern as it relates to persons with Down syndrome in Nigeria.
Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest
freestanding Mountain at 5,895m high, attracts over 40,000 people every year
who seek to climb the mountain. Of the seven summits, it is the easiest to
climb, requiring no ropes, or special mountaineering gears or previous climbing
experience.
The Climb for Down Syndrome Party
will be climbing through the Machame route, one of the seven routes to Uhuru
summit. The choice of the route according to Dotun Eyinade, the convener is to
ensure that everyone acclimatizes quickly and to increase the chances of
success. “Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
remains a physical and mental challenge and for many of us it will be one of
the most physically exacting things we would do in our youth” he
added. Inspired by Charity views the
experience as more than an adventure but a purposeful intervention in support of the Down Syndrome Foundation, as it
executes its charitable mandate in providing critical succor to a vulnerable
community. Eyinade, a Fellow with Acumen Fund said the team would leverage the
media, especially new media platforms to raise awareness about Down syndrome
and the Foundation. As socially minded
professionals, we consider the hike a transformational experience, one which
requires courage, grit and determination; we are excited about the prospect of
using the hike to fundraise for Down syndrome foundation and help to place down
syndrome on the front burners of public discourse again.
The professionals are drawn from
the KPMG, Seven Energy, Generation Enterprise, Acumen Fund amongst others. Accordingly,
Climb for Down Syndrome has received the endorsement of the Down Syndrome
Foundation. “This is a worthy and unique concept which I
believe must be the first of its kind in our country. We would love to thank
the team for believing in our cause and finding our Foundation worthy to
benefit from this unique event,” said Mrs Rose Mordi,
President, Down Syndrome Foundation.
Donations in support of the Climb
can be made directly to the bank accounts of the Down
Syndrome Foundation as well as on www.234give.com, a crowdfunding platform.
The climb is supported by Premium
Times, The cable news, Development Diaries and the One Life initiative
