This year we decided that we would mark 2010 with being the ‘Year of the Summits’!  In July we will be climbing Mont Blanc 4,810m (15,780ft) and in November we will be heading up Killimanjaro 5,895m (19,341ft)…cumulatively, a height greater than Everest! 

Having not done any mountaineering before, one could say we are somewhat naïve and stupid…. well, there may well be an element of truth in that, but I can assure you that it is very much all in aid of a great cause as we hope to raise funds for a charity based in Malawi that cares for over 5000 orphans where Anitia will be working for 3 months, from September to December, in the outreach health clinic.

As like all charities, they are solely reliant on donations to continue their invaluable work.  If you feel that you would like to help, Mark and I would be extremely grateful for anything that you feel you wish to donate, and you can guarantee that all of your money will go straight to those in need in Mulanje and will help to continue and expand the incredible work that the workers in Malawi are committed to doing.

Information on the charity:

Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) is a community based orphan care program in the Mulanje district of Malawi in . It was established in the year 2000 and has gradually expanded over the last 10 years, now looking after over 5000 children through a network of 13 centres covering over 85 villages in Mulanje.

The mission of FOMO is to meet the basic human needs of all orphaned and vulnerable children in the Mulanje district by providing and enhancing their health and education needs, and also by supplying food and shelter. These objectives are achieved through integrating the orphaned children into the local community by fostering and adoption, and through formal schooling, after school acitivities, and other community based projects.

The work that I (Anitia) will be concentrating on whilst I am in Malawi will be providing healthcare to the children in their outreach clinic and also raising awareness and promoting health education in the community about common diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB - widespread and preventable diseases which claim many children’s lives every year.

 

Mark & Anitia x