"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe". Anatole France (1844-1926)

Hello everyone

An all-ladies international trekking team of 10 (including myself) will be heading to Everest Base Camp in Nepal (5,364 meters or 17,598 feet) on the 28th October 2012, spearheaded by Mount Everest summiteer Valerie Boffy, under the banner of Women for Women International. Our aim is to not only raise funds but to highlight the importance of championing the lives of women from war-torn regions across the globe.

Mount Everest has been calling out to trekkers and climbers since it first appeared in the telescopes of mountain surveyors, and the trails that climb through the foothills of the world's highest mountain are still some of the most challenging in Nepal. The team will commence their two week trek from the city of Lukla (set high in the mountains at a giddy 2800 meters), climbing steeply through the Khumbu Valley to culminate at Everest Base Camp.

There is a powerful mystique surrounding the trek to the foot of Mount Everest. By following this route, the team will be following in the footsteps of great mountaineers like Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. As we make our ascent, the terrain soars on all sides like jagged shards of glass. The trails are steep, and it has been said that the altitude hangs on your muscles like a diving belt, but the sense of achievement at the end of the trek is known to be quite profound.

Everest is the summit of all summits. Those who live nearby have for centuries called it Sagarmatha ("the ocean's brow") in Nepalese, or Chomolungma ("the Goddess of the glaciers") in Tibetan. It is at the foot of this Goddess where the team will plant the flag of Women for Women and carry the messages and hopes for peace in the world.

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest of souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars". Kahlil Gibran (1883-1930)

In Brief:

Woman for Woman International exists because of the story of Bosnia & Herzegovina. In 1993, Women for Women International Founder Zainab Salbi (an Iraqi American who is herself a survivor of the Iran/Iraq War), heard reports of atrocities against women in Bosnia & Herzegovina, including the practice of rape as a weapon of war. Compelled to act, she visited the country herself and spoke with the women who had been imprisoned in rape camps, enduring daily mass rapes by soldiers and lost their entire families to ethnic cleansing. When she returned to the United States, she founded Women for Women International to help the women she had met.

Women for Women International are a non-profit humanitarian organisation that works with women survivors of war, to help them rebuild their lives and the communities around them. This is achieved through a year-long tiered program that begins with direct financial aid and emotional counseling that includes life skills training if necessary, rights awareness education, health education, job skills training and small business development. They operate in Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan.

For me, this impending odyssey is in many respects, a challenge of a lifetime, and I am doing this for all the women around the world who face their own personal challenges in countries affected by conflict.

I am committed to raise USD7,000 or SGD10,000.

Please support me in raising these vital funds for Women for Women International who in turn support women to take fundamental steps to overcome the terrible trauma of violence and rape, by equipping them with the tools and resources necessary to move beyond crisis and poverty and build confidence and self sufficiency. In short - helping mothers, daughters and sisters reach their own 'higher ground'!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving Page. I am immensely proud to be campaigning for Women for Women International and endeavor to continue to support this important organisation in the future.

Jacci

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