Hey guys,

On November 5th 2009, Niz, Ffion and Cadi will be setting off on a 15 day trek to summit Mount Kala Patthar in the Himalayas and then to get to Everest Base Camp in Nepal (nearly three quarters of the way up the world’s highest mountain).

The trek will expose us to crazy low temperatures at night, the life threatening risks of altitude and the possibility of failing due to severe mental and physical fatigue. The hike will take us as high as 5,643m where the concentration of oxygen is so little that there is a real risk of cerebral and pulmonary oedema (fluid in the brain and/or lungs). Many fail to make it the full way.

We’re doing all this to help a charity called BuildAfrica. BuildAfrica has been set up for some years and has been responsible for building schools, farms and communities in some of the most impoverished parts of the continent.

Our trek, and your kind donation, will be put towards a project we're undertaking in Kenya which involves the renovation and building up of the Gitare Primary School in Kenya. Gitare School has 728 kids, 108 of whom are orphans. The school is currently in disarray, with no basic sanitation infrastructure, inadequate classrooms and a poor level of staffing. Schools in Africa give children an escape from the difficulties of daily life and a means to build a future for their families and their community. They are also centres where HIV/Aids advice and education can be distributed, contributing to the fight against the pandemic which is crippling Africa.

The target for the Gitare School project is £19,696 and it will cost £1,721 alone to build and provide the latrines that will establish permanent basic sanitary facilities for the kids. Now, we don’t claim that we will be able to raise this amount single handedly from the trek but we will certainly try our best to get as much together as we can for the project to go ahead. £5 will buy a set of books, £22 will pay for a local carpenter to make a 3 seater desk... its as simple and as straightforward as that. 

Its cliché i know, but seriously every little bit will count. It doesn’t matter how little your donation is, your support will personally help us through the trek and most importantly will help us get this project off the ground. 

Thanks for your time guys. I've added some links and some photos and a video if you want to take a look at the kind of thing BuildAfrica have been doing.

Thanks for your support!

Niz, Ffi, Cads

www.build-africa.org

www.build-a-school.org  (Nizar Mhani)

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