(PRWEB) October 1, 2005 -- This coming January, 40 trekkers will have more on their minds than reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro: hundreds of orphans in the foothills of the mountain will be depending on their descent.
The Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb, hosted for the second year by the Global Volunteer Network (GVN), an organization based in New Zealand that connects volunteers with communities in need, is not only a way for people to test their mental and physical strengths on one of the highest, most breathtaking mountains in the world, but also acts as a fundraiser for the construction of a secondary school for disadvantaged youth and AIDS orphans in Uganda. Participants of the climb are responsible for raising $2,000 each for GVN's partner organization, Education Uganda, to help fund the construction of the school in Buloba and subsidize the costs of attending the school.
Uganda has been devastated by AIDS. There are an estimated 2.2 million orphans out of a population of 24 million who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. According to UNICEF, 20 percent of Ugandan children aged six to 17 are orphans. The strain this has created on communities is one that has been hard to bear. Schools are overcrowded and the ratio of children to teachers is often between 120-200 children per teacher. As a result, children's standard of education suffers, and children often drop out of school at an early age, raising a generation of unskilled youth with no parental guidance and no education to compete in the job market.
With the funds raised from the Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb, the school will accommodate between 500 and 800 children by 2012.
Participants of the climb range in age and origin. Their trip abroad will be far from a relaxing vacation. They'll be trekking for six days, will be provided simple living arrangements, and will also help with the construction of the school at the end of the climb. Their dedication, and the impact they will have, is a noteworthy one.
"When I knew that I had only a few more steps to make it to the top, I felt the biggest sense of relief and pride rush through me than I've ever felt before. I couldn't help but let the tears start falling. However, when we reached the airport in Entebbe, I saw all the children lined up in their uniforms, singing their hearts out, welcoming us to help them. I realized how important we were to them, even for the short time we were there, and a piece of my heart went out to them, never to return to me."
--Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb participant, 2005
If you would like to set up an interview with GVN or one of the Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb participants, please contact Megan Tady
megan@volunteer.org.nz.
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Press Contact: Megan Tady
Company Name: GLOBAL VOLUNTEER NETWORK
Email:
megan@volunteer.org.nz Phone: 64 04 569 9080
Website:
www.volunteer.org.nz
