Dave Rodrigues
Dave's 'Climb Mount Kilimanjaro Challenge 2011' in aid of Scope (The Cerebral Palsy Charity)
Fundraising for Scope
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my 'Climb Mount Kilimanjaro Challenge 2011' JustGiving page :o) This is where you can donate to my fantastic cause!!
For my 2010/11 challenge I will be trekking up to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro via the Machame route. I am hoping to raise £5,000 for the 'Scope' Cerbral Palsy Charity. I have a Facebook Page set up for my Fundraising Events and it is www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=190424653704&ref=mf
The Facebook page contains all of the information on the fundraising events that I will be running throughout 2010. Please have a look and join the group and you can then be kept up to date with all the latest information.
About Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain at 19,340. It lies 205 miles south of the equator and stands on Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya. Kilimajaro is composed of 3 extinct volcanoes: Kibo (19,340 feet), Mawenzi (16,896 feet), and Shira (13,000 feet), supporting 5 major eco-zones: rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers. After reaching a height thought to be 5900 meters during its last major eruption 360,000 years ago, Kibo has been eroded by glaciers, rivers and landslides to its present height. Recently scientists discovered that Kibo is losing glaciers due to global warming and could perhaps be completely gone in less than 20 years. In 1889, German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller were the first to climb Kilimanjaro.
The origins of the name are not necessarily known. Some people believe the name derived from the Kiswahili name, Kilima meaning mountain. The chagga people, who live at the base, claim to have no name for Kilimanjaro, but did name the dual peaks Kipoo and Kimawenzi. There are several routes by which to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, namely, Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Of all the routes, Machame is by far the most scenic albeit steeper route up the mountain, which can be done in 6 or 7 days.The Rongai is the easiest camping route and the Marangu is also easy, but accommodation is in huts. As a result, this route tends to be very busy and ascent and descent routes are the same.
Persons wishing to climb Mt Kilimanjaro are advised to undertake appropriate research and ensure that they are both properly equipped and physically capable. Though the climb is technically very easy, the altitude and low temperature make this a difficult and dangerous trek. Acclimatisation is essential, and even then most people suffer some degree of altitude sickness. About 10 climbers die from this each year, together with an unknown number of local porters - figures for these are guessed at between 10-20. Kilimanjaro summit is well above the altitude at which high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can occur. All climbers will suffer considerable discomfort, typically shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches, and though most young, fit people can make the Uhuru summit, a substantial number of trekers will eat the attempt at a lower altitude.
High altitude climbing clubs have criticised the Tanzanian authorities for charging fees for each day spent on the mountain. This can encourage climbers to climb rapidly to save time and money, while proper acclimatisation demands that delays are built in to any high climb.Tanzanian Medical Services around the mountain have expressed concern recently over the current influx of tourists that apparently perceive Kilimanjaro as an easy climb. Many individuals require significant attention during their attempts, and many are forced to abandon the climb. An investigation into the matter concluded that tourists visiting Tanzania were often encouraged to join groups heading up the mountain without being made aware of the significant physical demands the climb makes.
About Scope
Scope is a London-based charity, which operates in England and Wales, focusing on people with cerebral palsy particularly, and disabled people in general. Its aim is that disabled people achieve equality. Scope was founded on 9 October 1952 by Ian Dawson-Shepherd, Eric Hodgson, Alex Moira and a social worker, Jean Garwood. Together, they wanted to improve and expand services for people with cerebral palsy and founded the National Spastics Society and in 1963 it merged with the British Council for the Welfare of Spastics to become The Spastics Society.
The Spastics Society provided sheltered workshops and day centres for people with cerebral palsy (commonly referred to as spastics at the time, despite spasticity being a symptom of only one variant of C.P.), who were seen as being unemployable in mainstream society. The Society also provided residential units and schools, as well as opening a chain of charity shops. The term spastic came to be viewed as a general insult (perversely, in part due to the Blue Peter programmes following the life story of Joey Deacon, during the International Year of Disabled Persons, in an attempt to show disability in a positive light) and the society changed to its current name on 26 March 1994.
In November 1996, Scope AGM voted in favour of an individual membership scheme to give a voice to the 20,000 people that Scope and its local groups are in contact with every year - the first major UK disability charity to do so. In 1998, Scope individual members voted in elections to Executive Council and, since this time, the majority of trustees have been disabled people. However the first person with cerebral palsy to play a major managerial role was Bill Hargreaves, who had been elected to the Executive Council back in 1957.
In 2004 Scope launched the Time to Get Equal campaign to banish disablism, which it defines as "discriminatory, oppressive or abusive behaviour arising from the belief that disabled people are inferior to others".
The campaign has three aims:
To raise awareness of the problems and barriers faced by disabled people in their everyday lives
To demand an improvement in the attitudes and actions that disabled people experience
To build a mass movement of disabled and non-disabled people campaigning and working for equality.
High-profile supporters for the campaign include Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
With over 3,500 staff (more than 20% of whom are people with a disability) and an annual turnover of around £100 million, Scope continues to create independent living, education and employment opportunities for people with cerebral palsy and related impairments and to campaign for equality for all disabled people.
About Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects movement, posture and co-ordination. This may be seen at or around the time of birth or may not become obvious until early childhood. Cerebral palsy is a wide-ranging condition and can affect people in many different ways. Cerebral palsy is more common than generally realised. Currently, it is believed that about one in every 400 children is affected by the condition, i.e. about 1,800 babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy in Great Britain each year. Cerebral palsy can affect people from all social backgrounds and ethnic groups.
It is often not possible for doctors to give an exact reason why part of a baby's brain has been injured or failed to develop, as there may be no obvious single reason why a child has cerebral palsy. Causes of cerebral palsy can be multiple and complex. Some studies suggest that cerebral palsy is mainly due to factors affecting the brain before birth. Known possible causes include:
Infection in the early part of pregnancy.
Difficult or premature birth.
A cerebral (brain) bleed. This is more common following premature or multiple birth.
Abnormal brain development.
A genetic link (though this is quite rare).
Cerebral palsy affects the messages sent between the brain and the muscles. There are three types of cerebral palsy: spastic, dyskinetic (also known as athetoid or dystonic) and ataxic and generally relate to which part of the brain has been affected. The effects of cerebral palsy vary enormously from one person to another, with some people having a combination of two or more types. It is often difficult for a doctor to predict accurately how a young child with cerebral palsy will be affected later in life. Cerebral palsy is not progressive, i.e. it does not become more severe as the child gets older, although some difficulties may become more noticeable. There is no cure for cerebral palsy. If children are positioned well from an early age and encouraged to move in a way that helps them to improve their posture and muscle control, they can be supported to develop and achieve more independence for themselves. There are also a number of therapies, which may be beneficial for some individuals.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
Thank you so much!!
Dave