This October, a group of 9 intrepid women joined Everest Summitteer Sue Harper Todd on one of the most physically challenging and demanding, yet rewarding treks to Everest Base Camp to raise 100,000 for charity Women for Women International.
And we did it!
In a very rare occurrence, all 10 women made it to Base Camp; at least one person from an expedition will usually not make it. But we all did and once there, e lit candles, joined hands and chanted 'Aum' in a prayer for peace as the flags of love and compassion we brought with us danced in the mountain air.
This was such an incredible challenge - the pure physical demands of trekking for hours on end every day, for14 days in ever thinning air, being apart from my families for so long, and the loss of creature comforts the higher we got (I didn't shower for 9 days!) But it was so worth it, especially if we can reach our fund raising goal.
We're still raising money to reach our fund raising goal though and are calling on you to dig deep. Just as deep as we did on the trail.
Women for Women International UK is part of a world wide organization that strives to help women in war torn countries create a better life for themselves and for their children. There are remarkable stories everywhere - stories like that of Pari Gul, a 42-year-old Afghan woman, who after taking part in Women for Women’s first vocational training session in Afghanistan in 2002, took up stone polishing and as a result now heads a profitable, 500-employee stone cutting and polishing company in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Despite being threatened, harassed and accused of corrupting Afghan women by the local community, Pari Gul has persevered and been able to send her eight children, including three daughters, to university – a luxury she did not have. “Afghan women face so many problems in Afghanistan – beating, stoning, killing,” Pari Gul says. “Here we feel so lucky to be able to be a part of Women for Women, to learn skills, help our families, and educate our children.”
I am appealing to you to women whose daily lives are a bigger challenge than our Everest Base Camp trek.
I have committed to raise £10,000 - I covered the costs of the trip so your donation, will be a direct donation to Women for Women to support women in war-torn countries.
Please help me to reach my goal of £10,000 by donating on this page.
To learn more about how Women for Women International support women like Pari Gul and their theory of change, please visit the Women for Women International website at www.womenforwomen.org.uk
