News

COVID-19 expedition summits Mount Kilimanjaro

28.10.2021

The 34 climbers participating in The Big Climb, along with their support crew of 107 porters and guides summited Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest mountain – on 24 October 2021, United Nations Day, to raise awareness of the urgent need for equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The climbers included several youth from disadvantaged communities; top women mountain athletes from Italy, Nepal, and Switzerland; a former minister of defense; an ambassador; a polar explorer; United Nations officials; corporate executives and managers of NGOs.

Among the climbers was Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassador Mira Rai, an award-winning trail and sky runner from Nepal.

Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg, former German Minister of Defense, said the climb reaffirmed his confidence in humanity’s ability to overcome any obstacle “with the right amount of commitment, motivation and perseverance.” He said if 150 people of such diverse backgrounds can work together to climb Kilimanjaro, “we can certainly be more united in our efforts to solve the current COVID crisis.”

The Kilimanjaro Initiative, a member of the Mountain Partnership, is a personal project of Tim Challen, United Nations Federal Credit Union Foundation Assistant Vice President and co-organizer of The Big Climb. The overall goal is to address the socioeconomic challenges among youth in many poor communities. Each year for the past 15 years, ten youth have been selected for a leadership training before joining international participants from around the world to climb Kilimanjaro. “Not everyone reaches the summit,” he said, “but everyone reaches the peak of their inner potential and learns that with self-confidence and through working with others, we can overcome most of the challenges that life throws at us.”

Dennis Nielsen, CEO of Phoenix Design Aid and founder of the Phoenix Design Aid Foundation, joined the climb for the fourth time. Each year the foundation he created works with young climbers through a mentoring programme designed to support their continued development. “All ten young climbers, five from Kenya and five from Tanzania, will enter our mentoring programme this year,” he said. “Because solving COVID-19 requires much more than just making vaccines available, we will work with them to become vaccine champions in their communities, raising awareness of the importance of getting vaccinated.”

Bishop Fredrick Onael Shoo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania congratulated the climbers in a ceremony in Marangu, Tanzania. “I and all members of our congregation thank you for your direct support of solar panels and medical supplies to the local hospital, and for raising awareness of the importance of getting everyone vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.

How to get involved

Organize your own parallel activity through ‘The Big Climb’ application, found on Android and Apple stores.

Read more on The Big Climb website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Photo by Adam Rogers