Photo: SMA Co-founder Ingrid Beutler with Dennis Imani from Kibera, Nairobi, one of the 10 youth that The Big Climb supported to bring to the roof of Africa.
COVID19 challenges in Africa seen as more than making vaccines available, better communication and outreach needed to overcome vaccine hesitancy
MARANGU, Tanzania: 26 October 2021 – SMA member, The Big Climb, saw the 34 diverse climbers and their support crew of 107 porters and guides return from Africa’s highest mountain with a deeper understanding of each other and the COVID challenges facing Africa. The climbers included ten youth from disadvantaged communities, top women mountain athletes from Nepal, Italy and Switzerland, a former minister of defense, an ambassador, a polar explorer, UN officials, corporate executives and managers of NGOs.
World-renowned polar explorer Sebastian Copeland joined the climb both to support its mission and as part of his global effort to bring attention to the climate crisis by documenting the disappearing icefields around the world. He has led numerous expeditions in the polar regions to photograph and film endangered environments and considers Kilimanjaro to be one of them due to the disappearing glaciers at the summit. Copeland, who was named one of the world’s top 25 adventurers of the last 25 years by Men’s Journal, also has supported The Big Climb expedition through fundraising and partnerships.
Climb leader Simon Mtuy, and world record holder for the fastest unassisted ascent and descent of Mount Kilimanjaro in 9 hours, 21 minutes, 47 seconds, said he is honoured so many people have come to his country to promote universal access to covid19 vaccines. “Kilimanjaro stands as a symbol uniting not only all Tanzanians, but all Africans and now the entire world,” he said. “It is a perfect metaphor to pull humanity together to overcome the challenge of this pandemic.”
Mira Rai, a Nepalese trail runner and winner of the 2017 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, joined the climb to bring attention to the fact that the pandemic is far from over in many parts of the world. Rai, who was recently appointed as a United Nations Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassador, said she hopes her climb “inspires more people to step up and climb towards solutions to the challenges confronting their communities.”
Dr. Joseph Msaki, Medical Doctor at the Marangu Lutheran Hospital, said he is inspired by the level of international attention and support for ending the pandemic in East Africa. “While bringing international attention to the need for COVID vaccines globally, the initiative also has brought important supplies like masks, testing kits and solar panels to our local hospital,” he said. The SMA will lead a global fundraising drive for solar panels within the Marangu community, as as the hub for sport and tourism in the Kilimanjaro region, post The Big Climb 2021.
Three other doctors traveled to Tanzania to join the climb, and to participate in the handover of equipment and medical supplies at the Marangu Lutheran Hospital. Dr. Jeffrey Lazarus head the Health Systems Research Group at ISGlobal, is on the Lancet COVID-19 Commission and frequently appears on media channels to discuss the pandemic. Dr. Marcus Ranney is the founder and CEO of the Human Edge in India, and Dr. Noah Simons is a pediatric infectious disease specialist in San Francisco.
Didier Chassot, Ambassador of Switzerland to Tanzania, joined the climb to promote efforts to raise awareness of and resources for alleviating the economic, financial and social consequences of the pandemic. “In the spirit of solidarity,” he said “Switzerland joins the calls for the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, and it continues to support international relief efforts in connection with the pandemic, particularly in developing countries.”
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.”
UNFCU Assistant Vice President Tim Challen, founder of Kilimanjaro Initiative (KI) and co-organizer of The Big Climb, started organizing climbs as a personal project after being shot during an armed robbery in Nairobi. The overall goal is to address the socio-economic challenges amongst the youth in many poor communities. For each of the past 15 years, ten youth are selected for an Outward Bound-style 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.”
An international consortium of partners supported The Big Climb, including the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union, Ethiopian Airlines, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, North Face, Norrona, Phoenix Design Aid (PDAID) Foundation, Sport and Sustainability International, UNFCU Foundation, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Women’s Brain Project. KI is also a member of the Mountain Partnership, an official United Nations partnership network dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world.
How to help:
The Big Climb has partnered with the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention; African Union (AU); Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and WHO Foundation. All donations collected through The Big Climb will go towards purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, either through the Gavi COVAX AMC program or the African Union. Every donation of $5 buys ensures one person gets fully vaccinated.
Organize your own parallel activity through ‘The Big Climb’ application, found on Android and Apple stores
- Climb website: www.thebigclimb.org
- Twitter: @climb_big
- Instagram: the.big.climb
- Facebook: The Big Climb (of Kilimanjaro)
*The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”.The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
For more information contact: Tim Challen, Founder, the Kilimanjaro Initiative, email: challen@kiworld.org ; mobile: +41 (78) 737 80 03; or Adam Rogers, communications attaché, email: g.adamrogers@gmail.com; mobile: +1 202 601 0161