Climbing Kilimanjaro to
raise funds for Russian children with Down syndrome

KILIMANJARO. I CAN!

589,500 Ruble (about 9000
USD) is the fundraising goal of our ambitious team of eleven Russian ‘Charity
Athletes’ climbing the highest mountain in Africa – Kilimanjaro – between
September 3^rd and 13^th this year. ‘Kilimanjaro. I can!’
is a joint initiative of Kaspersky and the Syndrome of Love and Downside Up
charities.

The main heroes of the upcoming
ascent are Stanislav Bogdanov from Moscow and Stepan Bezrukov from Nizhny
Novgorod - two young people with Down syndrome, famous marathon runner with cerebral
palsy Pavel Krysanov and Alexander Lebedev of the Udomlya orphanage.

This will be one of the first Russians with Down Syndrome to attempt to climb Kilimanjaro. The
project symbolizes how dreams – however unattainable they may appear at first
glance – can come true if there is someone to support you. ‘Kilimanjaro. I can!’
is a story of effort and struggle against improbabilities. It will serve as an
example for all people who find themselves in a difficult life situation.

Let the mountain be
favorable to us!  

WHO WE ARE

Stas Bogdanov is a young man with Down
syndrome from Moscow. Stas is a volunteer of the fund ‘Syndrome of Love’. He
leads an active lifestyle, participating in many of the fund`s projects. Stas
is a sportsman that plays football and enjoys running.

Stepan Bezrukov is from Nizhny Novgorod and
has Down syndrome. Stepan is 37 and almost all his life has been playing sports
to the highest professional level. He has got 36 gold, 25 silver and 27 bronze
medals. Most of them are in swimming, but they are also in equestrian events
and bowling, and even in tourism.

Pavel Krysanov is a 48 year old runner
from Moscow. He has participated in 130 parkruns, 17 marathons, one off-road
ultra-marathon and 35 half-marathons. In total, he has crossed the finish line over
200 times. According to his calculations, he has run over 2,500 km during
official races and 8,000 km during training. All despite the fact that Pavel
has cerebral palsy.

Alexander Lebedev is a graduate of the
Udomelsky orphanage which Kaspersky has been supporting for almost 10 years.
Alexander practically grew up in front of the company`s volunteers. He is
one of the kindest, honest and well-mannered children in the orphanage.
Alexander is a big dreamer; he has long wanted to see other cities and
countries. This climb is his opportunity to fulfill his dream.

Anastasiya Marentsova is an events manager and a
special project manager at Kaspersky. She is a leader of charity initiatives in
the Moscow office and is a volunteer of several funds. Last year, Anastasiya
became an Athlete for good and dedicated her trek across the Himalayas to raise
funds to help children with Down syndrome.

Anton Brichevsky is a climbing instructor.
Anton is not just an expert in climbing, he is a volunteer of several
charitable funds and an organizer of his own charity project.

Alina Senina is the expedition doctor.
In ordinary life, Alina works as a physician-rehabilitator for children
with Down syndrome and other special needs. Her mission during the expedition
is to monitor the health status of all participants and help them acclimatize.
It is Alina and Anton who has the unenviable task of deciding to return a
participant down if the mountain sickness is too severe.

Ekaterina Molotkova is a coach of Stepan
Bezrukov. Ekaterina has been working as a swimming coach  for children with special needs and
intellectual disabilities for five years now. She is a master of sports in
swimming and a judge of the all-Russian category. She likes cycling, diving, hiking
and kayaking.

Alexandra Bugrova is engaged in the
implementation of various projects for the ‘Syndrome of Love’ fund, including
the Kilimanjaro climb. Alexandra is an Athlete for good, she has raised more
than 25,000 rubles for yoga classes for children with Down syndrome. She likes
running, travelling and reading. In October, Alexandra plans to run her first
marathon. Organizational issues of the mountain climb are rested on her
shoulders: including equipment, training for participants, vaccinations and
much more.

Julia Agapova is PR-manager of the
sports projects of the ‘Syndrome of Love’ fund. Julia is an avid traveler and
experienced tourist. She has already visited Nepal, Chile, Iceland, Kamchatka,
Himalayas, Andes, Caucasus and Urals, with plenty more to come! She believes
that everything in life depends on us, as humans, and our ability to help each
other. 

WHY WE DO IT?

We, the climbers, are united
not only to climb Kilimanjaro, but also to raise funds for the development and
educational programs for children with Down syndrome in our country. 

We believe that we can
change their life for the better! By making a charitable donation, everyone has
the opportunity to become a part of this project. Every little help matters.
Please support us and support the children!

You can follow the project
on social networks by hashtags #КилиманджароЯМогу and #ICanKili