Climbing Kilimanjaro
During the summer holidays, Philip B, Marcus C, Lachlan G and Stuart R climbed 5895m to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in aid of the charity COCO. The trip was generously supported by Heritage Plastics.
The four day climb took on three different zones. Starting on the Machambe Route in rainforest before moving through moorland and then into the cold and hostile alpine desert. They say 35% do not make it to the top, so for all four of them to reach the top in an unusually short time, was a tough physical effort but one which they will take a lot from.
In the week before the trip the four had built a playground as an extension to MCF School, using money donated by Lachlan’s family to buy materials. This was an extension to an existing high school that was set up by an orphan who went on to be a successful Bright Star Scholar. The School is called the Mama Clementina Foundation after the nun who took her in as a child. It is an all-girls school and the playground build was for a new nursery that has just been set up
The school is struggling to find funds and they were happy to be able to buy text books for the high school students and also medicine for three pupils who are HIV positive. COCO was set up by Steve Cram and helps to support various projects in both Moshi and other rural areas in the Kilimanjaro region as well as the rest of Tanzania and in Romania.
The trip was an unforgettable experience that has pushed the boys physically and hopefully helped people along the way. They raised £955 towards projects in Tanzania run by COCO - thank you to everyone who donated.