The Latymer Uganda Project has been hugely stimulating and has inspired me to raise money in support of the charity M-LISADA (Music, Life Skills, and Destitution Alleviation). Over the last months, I have been greatly touched by its mission - “To protect, heal, empower, and support vulnerable children and youth through music, life skills, and education.” Therefore, I decided to climb the Majestic Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world at 19,340 ft (5895 Mtr), to help as many children as I can.

Initially, I started to attend Uganda Club at Latymer out of curiosity as Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa and is also home to the "big Five" (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and elephant). Over time, I learned how the children are forced, by external reasons, onto the streets of Kampala and Kalangala and how M-LISADA has been supporting vulnerable children and youth to give them second chance since 1996. During the recent fundraising event, I realized that we were quite short off our target; this sparked an idea and I thought “what if I could help?”. I also came across a very touching video that the kids had sent to Latymer, which sealed my desire and I decided that I wanted to raise money for them.

Although I have been walking with my dad for the past few years, I am really looking to test my endurance at Kilimanjaro with this great physical and mental challenge. It’s a 7-day climb through the Machame route with the final ascent to Uhuru Peak at the extraordinary height. Did you know that Kilimanjaro is higher than Everest base camp (17,598 ft)? Also, it is at the Equator, and where else can you trek from the equator to Arctic conditions in just a few days! This awesome journey meanders through tropical rainforest, Alpine meadows, moorland, desert uplands, right up to icy glaciers.

I am training hard and building both my physical and mental strength. My goal is to raise £2000 and this money will be put to aid the organisation so that the children can get a proper education, receive proper health care, receive a home, receive healthy food and one of the most important aspects of M-LISADA, that is at its heart - Music.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page. These children need help right now. There’s no time to lose! Donate to my page today and we can together support many vulnerable children and youth for a better world.

If you want to read more about M-LISADA please copy this link: https://mlisada.org