Three Peaks in three Weeks for Africa
By Wendy Parkin
Bondi resident Nicole Plant is one of 13 women who will undertake the 3 peaks in 3 weeks challenge in January 2009. Three are from Sydney, two from Canberra, one from London and the rest are from the United States. Money raised so far is $376,857.
Australian traveller Chloe Chick set up the 3P3W challenge after spending six months at the school of St Jude in Tanzania. Two years of fundraising and finding sponsors culminated in a team of 10 women taking the challenge of climbing Africa’s three highest peaks in just three weeks in January 2007.
Documentary filmmakers Serac Adventure Films followed the women on their journey to reach the summit of Mt Kenya at 5,199m, Mt Meru, and Mt Kilimanjaro peak 5,895m. The amazing achievement aimed to generate awareness of three key African issues: health, environment and education. The $350,000 raised was used to support three grassroots organisations.
The school of St Jude in Tanzania, founded by Australian Gemma Sisia in 2002, provides free primary schooling for 500 orphans and the poorest children whose families live in mud and stick huts. So far 20 classrooms have been built. Funds raised from the January 2009 3P3W weeks challenge will see continued expansion of the school to provide free secondary education.
Funding to the Support for International Change (SIC) organisation was used to buy three fully equipped mobile HIV/AIDS testing units. This provides Tanzanians in rural communities with free HIV/AIDS testing; knowledge of their status is helpful to modify behaviour to avoid infecting others. One in five Africans in the sub Sahara region has HIV/AIDS, 77 per cent of them women.
HIV positive women are disadvantaged within their village. Husbands leave them to go live with another family and doctors shun health care for their children. These women now have support groups.
The third organisation is Kenya’s Laikipia Wildlife Forum, which combines economic incentive with community conservation projects through such initiatives as eco-tourism, community owned lodges and wildlife guide training. Within a year the wildlife population decline has been reduced in targeted areas compared to elsewhere.
To donate or for more information, visit www.3peaks3weeks.org/
