Thank you for visiting my Accenture Kilimanjaro Trek 2008 fundraising for VSO page!

You still have time to contribute! 

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far.  With your help I have reached almost 50% of my goal!  Donations of any size help the VSO in their mission: 1£, 5£, or 10 £ ($2, $10, $20) it all adds up.  From providing AIDS/HIV education in Kenya to teaching children with disabilities in every dollar counts!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor my journey.  

Donations through this website are in British Pounds .  Unfortunately because this is not a Canadian charity Canadian tax receipts can not be issued for donations.  The VSO had thought they could do receipts for large donations, but they have just informated me that will not be possible. 

My Journey:
On June 14th I will be setting out on a 10 day trip with a group of my Accenture colleagues from around the globe (including my good friend Annie Hsu from Vancouver) to Tanzania where I will begin my journey with a visit to see some of the VSO development work in action and then continue my trip with a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.  The purpose of the trek is to raise funds for VSO, which is the largest independent charity in the world, working through its volunteers. They work in over 30 countries in the poorest regions of the world.  Instead of sending money, food or clothes, VSO sends people from a range of professions who want to make a difference.  VSO volunteers work in six specific areas: HIV and AIDS, disability, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, education, health and well-being.

Why is this challenge important to me?
Apart from my business studies at McGill I did a concentration in social studies of medicine.  One of my primary areas interest and research was in advocacy and public healthcare response to infectious diseases– primarily HIV/AIDS.  My final research on this looked at how the success of HIV/AIDS advocacy movements in North America could benefit HIV/AIDS infected individuals and communities in developing countries.  Traveling to Tanzania to see and support the work that the VSO is doing will bring new perspective to my research.  Taking this trip with my Accenture colleagues from around the globe will be an excellent learning opportunity.  And lastly, climbing has become a passion of mine, so I would like to do my first altitude climb, summiting Kilimanjaro to celebrate the year of my 30th birthday.

The Kilimanjaro trek is a physically demanding one. In addition to the reduced oxygen at altitude the last leg of the expedition involves a 14-hour night-time ascent and descent in sub-zero temperatures, timed to reach the volcano’s crater summit at dawn.

To find out more about VSO follow this link: http://www.vso.org.uk/about/
To find out more about Kilimanjaro follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro

Specifics:
1. The online donation is for your convenience, however if you would prefer to make donations by cheque or in cash on my behalf please contact me at gayle.delahunt@accenture.com and I can send you the appropriate information.

2. Unfortunately donations to the VSO will not be tax deductible unless you file taxes in the United Kingdom.  If you are a UK taxpayer and you donate using the online tool, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.  See note above regarding donations of $1000.00 or more.

3. Using the online tool all donations are measured in United Kingdom Pounds (£).  To calculate the donation rate for your donation you can visit: http://www.xe.com/ucc/  

The rough calculation is that 1GBP(£) = 2 Canadian Dollars. 

Examples:

10 GBP(£) = $20.00 CND / 25 GBP(£) = $50.00 CND / 50 GBP(£) = $100.00 CND.

What impact do donations have?

  $100.00 CND: provides HIV and AIDS training for a VSO volunteer to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in local communities throughout Zambia.

$500.00: helps a VSO volunteer to train 20 local teachers in special teaching methods and in the management of Special Needs Units in Kenya in order to support children with disabilities.

  $2000.00: helps to fund a community-initiated project in The Gambia that, with the support of a VSO volunteer, could help to set up small enterprises run by local communities.

Thank you for sponsoring me.  Every donation helps the VSO!

Warmest,

Gayle Delahunt

Thank you for your Support!!!

Thanks to my friends, collegues, and family  that have donated thus far!

Special thanks to my Aunt Derry for her support and those of you who have supported me because of her request!

Thank you to the Accenture Montreal CCC for your continued support.

Stay tuned for updates!

I will be adding the offline donations here (they may be delayed in getting posted, but if you see an error or omission please contact me).

Offline Donations to the trek:

Reta Shirley $100.00 (50£)

Jeans Day Montreal 83£ ($171.00)