Raised: 54%
Target: £2,500.00
Raised so far: £1,357.60
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My story

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As some of you may know, having travelled extensively, volunteered and trained in Africa as a ranger, I am hugely passionate about Africa and sustainable community development through responsible tourism and conservation to empower, educate, improve health (especially HIV) and break the cycle of extreme poverty.

From 5th October, I have the privilege of volunteering to help improve conditions of a school in Moshi, Tanzania, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, home to some of Tanzania’s poorest communities, in dire need of assistance. I’ll help range of projects at the school, including renovating classrooms, clearing land for sports and recreation and building much-needed desks. This will be followed by the challenging week-long trek to the Mount Kilimanjaro summit.

I'll be doing this to support the Africa Foundation charity to support sustainable local community development.

So if Chris Moyles and Cheryl Cole can do that, it’s pretty easy, right?

Sadly not so! At 19,340ft / 5,895m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain and the highest free standing mountain in the world. (ie it's not part of a range but stands on its own).

I’ll hike on average 8 hours a day, for 7 days, through 5 ecological zones (tropical rain forest, heath, moorland, Alpine desert, through ice fields to the Arctic wastes of the summit) to eventually reach the peak at 5895m - planes flying past are an at altitude 2,000ft lower!

As the rainy season is about the break, we may get soaking wet every day and never fully dry. I’ll experience blinding glare and extreme temperatures, being 3 degrees south of the equator it will likely be well over 30 degrees in the day, but at altitude it will drop severely to minus 30 degrees wind chill at night.

But the hardest thing to handle, and unfortunately impossible to prepare for or predict, is altitude. Sleeping will become difficult not only with the cold but an increasingly racing pulse. Approximately 75% of all people climbing Kilimanjaro suffer mild to moderate altitude sickness, with symptoms ranging from headache, nausea, insomnia, extreme fatigue and dehydration, dizziness even hallucinations... symptoms which can be lethal if not treated properly immediately. Kilimanjaro can kill!

Whilst I hope there will be fun times too, this is no mean feat and not for the faint-hearted - this will really test limits, mentally as well as physically – and consequently the overall average success rate to summit the mountain is less than 40%.

So I'd be very appreciative if you would support me (let's hope I make it) and sponsor me putting myself through this for my chosen charity:

The Africa Foundation facilitates the empowerment and development of people living in or adjacent to protected areas in Africa, by forging unique partnerships between conservation initiatives and communities, to help break the cycle of poverty.


Please offer any support you can - every pound adds up and whilst we may be in recession, even so we have so much more then the African communities your donation will help.


Many thanks,

Vicky


Kili on Wikipedia

Kili on Google Maps

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So please dig deep and donate now.


Congratulations Vicky. What an amazing achievement, you're a star! One down - just six more to go...! Donation by Julie and Fred Frizzarin 20/11/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Well done. A great acheivement. Donation by Helen Wilson 17/11/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Well done Vicky. I think its time to put your feet up now for a while! Donation by Carol Whittaker 16/11/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

We think you are mad but great, well done, sorry it's taken so ling. Catch up soon Donation by Lys 11/11/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Massive achievement - well done Vix! Sorry thought I'd already donated...Juliette xxx Donation by Juliette Walker 09/11/09  

Well done Vics. I'm sure you dominated the mountain just like the centre of the netball court. Donation by Mark 29/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Well Done Vicks x Donation by Andrew Holmes 28/10/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Donation by Marianne Gray 23/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Well done Vicky. Luv Mon & John Donation by monica coupe 23/10/09  

£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid

Well done Vix!!! Donation by James Smith 23/10/09  

£23.00 + £6.49 Gift Aid

Well done Vicky, all the very best! Donation by Daniel Jolles 22/10/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Was there this time last year. Well done, hope to see you sometime soon Donation by Jim Pickering 21/10/09  

£25.00

Have a brill time and come home safely and very proud. XX Donation by Helen and Andy [The Godparents] 12/10/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Vicki, enjoy, enjoy,enjoy see you back in the office all charged up and raring to go! Donation by Litsa Constantinou 11/10/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Good luck Vicky, I look forward to hearing about your trip on your return. Donation by Natalie Young 05/10/09  

£5.00 + £1.41 Gift Aid

What a fabulous trip - enjoy every minute. Thinking of you all the way to the top. Donation by Mum & David xxxxx 02/10/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Good luck, just think of that fried chicken shop at the top! Donation by Jon Cooper 02/10/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Good Luck Vicky! Such an amazing adventure, can't wait to hear about it when you get back. Donation by Anna Elson 02/10/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Well done Victoria Keep up the good work. Good luck from Janine's Mum x Donation by Janet Eccles 01/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Good luck on your way up! Donation by Ascension Verdu 01/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Good luck, Vicky! Such an impressive thing to do! Cx Donation by Charlotte Frydenborg 01/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Good Luck Vicky! I will be thinking of you! Donation by Julie Shand Smith 01/10/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

All the very best. Good Luck and we'll be thinking of you xxxxxxxxxxxx Donation by Paul Smith 30/09/09  

£100.00 + £28.21 Gift Aid

Donation by Rebecca Ryan 30/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

All the best Vicky and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Africa Foundation. Donation by Judith James 30/09/09  

£20.00

Amazing to climb Kili - you go girl, go. Enjoy and best of luck. Donation by gillian smith 30/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Good luck and remember to have a good cry in your tent when you need to! Oh, and enjoy yourself xx Donation by Catherine Ingram 29/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Stay positive - you'll be a star, I know you can do it!!! Take care too. XX Donation by Janine Eccles 29/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Have fun, Vix Donation by Mick Coleby 28/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Go girl go! Enjoy x Donation by Sonya Bonniface 28/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid
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* Total raised online: £1,357.60
  Offline donations: £0.00
  Gift Aid plus supplement: £296.89

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