Lausanne, Switzerland: 8 September 2022 – Thanks to the generous support of donors from around the world, the SMA, in collaboration with The Big Climb and the Kilimanjaro Initiative, is currently installing solar energy photovoltaic cells in Tanzania to create energy security for the hospital at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
At the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world (5895m), the Marangu Lutheran Hospital (MLH) serves a community of 500,000 people as well as the thousands of climbers who annually attempt to climb the mountain.
These panels will be life changing:
- Providing reliable energy to the hospital’s operating block and avoiding power cuts during critical surgery
- Saving lives
- Saving the hospital money in electricity costs that can be spent on additional critical community health care services
- Increasing energy security by reducing the need for diesel fuel
- Preventing localised air pollution by replacing the existing diesel power generators, that are often prone to break down
- Supporting the local economy
The SMA continues to support the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing its efforts on impact investing in sustainable solutions that facilitate the transition to sustainable sport and tourism in the mountains.
Beyond the money raised for the Solar Panels, The Big Climb 2022 also contributed to the local community through:
– Helping raise 16,500 USD for the Red Rose Primary School in Kibera. 400 students attend the school, located in one of the poorest communities in Nairobi, Kenya.
– With their climb payments and above average tips, our 75 guides, cooks and porters will be able to cover essential payments for their families over the next 4 months. Estimated number of persons impacted = 450.
– 10 youth from Tanzania, Kenya and the USA participated in our fully funded training and Kilimanjaro climb. They will now benefit from a virtual mentorship program, to identify an academic and/or professional career path. We want them to be community champions!
– 3 youth associated with this year’s climb will benefit from higher education scholarships in Kenya and Tanzania.
– Basketball jerseys/shorts and balls are to be donated to the Arusha Basketball Academy, which includes 28 young players.
– Overall, climbers have helped inject more than 100,000 USD into the Tanzanian economy.
Tim Challen, co-founder of The Big Climb said “It is essential for our group to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in-hand with the local community. This mountain and its people has given so much to our climbers, it is important that we provide a benefit in return”.