The Raise and Giving Society (RAG) teamed up with the company Student Adventures and now have approved plans to make a 5,895 metre trek up Kilimanjaro, the worldÔÇÖs highest free standing mountain, in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation. Now for a person who comes from Norfolk, one of the flattest places in the UK, and gets out of puff from climbing the stairs to my student flat, I can safely say I would struggle to complete a 7 day hike to the highest point of Africa!
To give an idea of the dizzying heights they will be reaching, the volunteers will be above the clouds by day 4 with 3 days of mountaineering still ahead of them. The crazy but admirable volunteers who have signed up for this trip will be climbing through many different eco zones, because temperatures at the bottom of the mountain can reach up to 27┬░C whereas at the top it can plummet to -18┬░C. This means they will face tropical conditions in the rainforest as well as braving severe rock faces and icy conditions. WhatÔÇÖs more, 60-70% of people who climb Kilimanjaro experience strong symptoms of altitude sickness as a result of climbing so high so quickly ÔÇô your body struggles to deal with the air pressure changes.┬á However, the rewards come in abundance and make it extremely worth wile. I am told that watching the sunset from the Rooftop of Africa is a sight that will be imprinted on your memory for life and apparently thereÔÇÖs a book at the peak where climbers record their thoughts and feelings about making it to the top. IÔÇÖm going to guess they will feel on top of the world and in peak physical condition!
A Portsmouth university student who successfully completed the trip last year said: ÔÇ£I am finally back in the UK after the best 16 days of my life. I met some amazing people along the way and will never forget it for as long as I liveÔÇØ.
It is easy to see that these students have the trip of a lifetime ahead of them, but the real beauty of this trip is that while they are having the time of their lives they will also be raising money for a very worthy cause. Unfortunately, In the UK and Ireland there are still about 3,400 cases of meningitis per year. For one in every ten people who contract it, the disease will be fatal and even if it is not, two in ten will be left with serious after effects such as brain damage or even amputation. It is appropriate that the trek will take place in Africa as it is one of the most seriously affected places, with quarter of a million cases documented in just one year.
However, with our sponsorships and the volunteerÔÇÖs determination we can change these distressing figures and bring about a truly positive change!
Holly Duhig
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