Most of you know me well enough to know that I am not the most sporty and outward bound kind of girl, so will also know that climbing Africa's highest mountain (all 5,895 metres of it) is going to be a massive challenge for me - particularly for some one with such short  legs!

However I have wanted to do it for a while now and with the help and support of my work (Aardvark Safaris) I will be climbing Kilimanjaro from 9th to 17th September.

I will be raising money for a pioneering community charity that works tirelessly providing help for the Samburu people in Northern Kenya with their medical needs, food and support through severe drought.

Every penny I raise will go directly to THE OL MALO EYE PROJECT that strives to eradicate blindness in the Samburu people caused by trachoma whilst preserving their rich cultural heritage. Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eye. If untreated, the infection leads to scarring and the inversion of the eyelashes. This causes scarring of the cornea and leads to incurable blindness. Without the invaluable work by the Ol Malo Eye Project these people would otherwise probably never have the chance to have their eyes corrected and will grow old with painful blindness. 

Money raised by the project is used to set surgical camps to perform the intricate eye operations. One trachoma eye operation costs around £100.

Each surgical camp involves 2 Eye lid surgeons, 1 nurse, 1 GP and 3 helpers.

Knowing that I am helping some people see again and stop their blindness will help me every step of the way up that mountain....

Tor x