Dear Family and Friends,

This October 2012, I will be taking up a fantastic challenge by trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal  (5,364 meters - 17,598 ft.) in aid of the charity Women for Women International, which helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives and achieve self-sufficiency.  

 

I am overjoyed at the opportunity to return to the Himalayas for the 3rd time in my life - having trekked in Annapurna in 2005, and in Kashmir in 2006. However, this time, it will be at a relatively higher altitude, and with the added motivation that it is for a very worthy cause. In addition to preparing for this demanding trek, I am personally committed to raising USD $7,000 (equivalent to GDP £ 5,000 or SGD $10,000). 

 

About the Trek 

Our team of 10 women will be led by my dear friend and inspirational Everest summiteer, Valerie Boffy, and together we hope to raise a total of USD $70,000.  

The climb of 12-14 days will commence from the village of Lukla ( 2,860 meters - 9,383 ft.), through the Khumbu Valley, to culminate at Everest Base Camp (5,364 meters - 17,598ft) where the team, trekking under the banner of Women for Women International, will plant prayer flags, prepared and designed by the children in our respective communities, carrying messages of hope for peace in the world.

It will be an extraordinary journey about friendships, passions, freedom, and the commitment to others. In the spirit of humility and gratitude, we will be pushing our physical and mental limits on behalf of those women who are deprived of the most basic freedom: the right to live in peace and happiness with their loved ones, the right to education and self accomplishment, the right to live with respect and decency. We live daily with these vital basic rights, yet many can only dream of attaining them.

 

About Women for Women International 

This non-profit humanitarian organization, which was founded in 1993 by Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi American who is herself a survivor of the Iran/Iraq War, also counts Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan as its Global Ambassador. 

Since its creation, Women for Women International has given hope to more than 310,000 women survivors of war and helped them move towards economic self-sufficiency with its year-long programs of direct aid, rights awareness, education, job skills training and small business development. Today, they operate offices in the following eight post-conflict countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan and are set to establish a presence in Asia. It is my sincere wish to remain involved with this beautiful charity beyond the trek.

What I Ask                                                                    I appeal to you to please support me in raising vital funds for Women for Women International. I ask you to join me in helping women around the world whose lives have been devastated by war, violence and rape. Let us together help by giving them the tools and resources necessary to move beyond crisis and poverty, towards re-building their confidence and self-sufficiency.

I am doing this trek to support mothers, daughters and sisters in distress, to help give them a chance to surmount and climb their own personal "Everest" against the injustices of this world. 

  

I also wish to show my children, my daughters in particular, that it is important to stand in solidarity with other women, and to not be afraid to take up these kinds of personal (sometimes even physical) challenges to try to make a difference. 

 

Please join me in supporting this worthy cause by giving what you can. Any contribution, no matter what size, will make a difference

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Christine

 

PS: It goes without saying that all funds will go directly to the charity, and that each team member is financing her own expedition costs.

 

PS 2: Here are some examples of Donation Amounts and how they help:

 

USD $20 – 1 Sewing Kit: Needles, Thread, Yarn, Tape Measure - As tailors and seamstresses, women in Afghanistan, Kosovo and DR Congo are using simple tools to provide an income for their families.

 

USD $50 - 1 Goat - In Afghanistan, goats can be raised for milk or cheese to be sold at market.

 

USD $100 - 1 Bicycle - In countries like Rwanda and South Sudan, the women often use bicycles as their means of transportation from the farm to the market and back. A bicycle helps a woman quickly transport more goods to market.

 

USD $200 - 1 Tie Dye Kit: Dyes, Fabric, Rubber Gloves, Bucket - Women in our DR Congo programme learn to make beautiful batiks that can be sold or used to create a variety of clothing and accessories. Dyes, fabrics, buckets and rubber gloves are the tools the women need to bring their artistic visions to life. Sold in local markets or overseas, the tie-dyes are a foundation for a better future.

 

USD $500  - Bread Oven - In South Sudan and DR Congo a simple brick oven can bake a variety of baked good, like bread, doughnuts or rolls. By having a bread oven, women are able to create cooperatives and sell these products in the market or out of their home.

 

USD $1000 – Could provide 15 women in Nigeria with 1000 chicks each to raise as a business.

 

USD $2000 - One Year Training Program for 10 women in Kosovo with Life Skills to help them learn how to rebuild their lives and find manage a job that will help them provide for themselves and their family

 

USD $5000 - Could provide 1000 women in Afghanistan with support from a traditional birth attendant and health education kits 

 

USD $7000 - Could provide trucks so that women in Rwanda can sell their products to other villages