Well it seems I’m trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro!

Yikes! Yes! This August I'm heading up this rather large rock in support of this wonderful wee charity, the Rafiki Thabo Foundation, who empowers young people, particularly those with disabilities, to fulfil their potential and initiate positive change within their communities: https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/about/

This charity touched my heart after hearing about a young girl in Uganda called Praise, who lost her sight at a young age and was abandoned by her father who couldn't deal with the shame. Her story reminded me of myself when I was young and it brought home how easily this could have been me had I not grown up in the UK where the support for my disability was available to me. In countries like Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho, young children don't have the same access to the required support and this charity fills this very big gap.

So I'm going to raise awareness and funds for this fantastic charity by climbing a rather large mountain so I hope you can drop in a little something to help them continue their incredible work and to give me a little energy boost!

A few details about what I've let myself in for:

- Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and the highest mountain on the African continent standing at at 5,895 meters (19,340 feet) above sea level!

- At the summit there is approximately half the oxygen in the air than there is at sea-level.

- Walking from the bottom of the mountain to the top is like walking from the equator to the North Pole – in terms of the climate zones you pass through.

- The trek takes 7 days and covers a distance of 82km or 50 miles.

My minimum fundraising target is £3000 but if I can surpass that for the charity that would be more than fabulous! All donations will make a huge difference:

- £40 pays for half a year of school meals for a child, enabling them to focus on their school work.

- £120 will provide for books, stationery and a uniform for a street child in Kenya (without which the child would not be allowed to attend school).

- £300 can enable a child to complete a whole year of secondary education!

Thank you for taking the time to read this page 🙏

Please feel free to follow my progress on Instagram @TheAmarLatif or via the charity @RafikiThabo or using #KilimanjaroDiaries

Nb. Just Giving adds an automatic voluntary contribution to them when you donate. Please know that you can set this to £0 in the box below the sliding scale!

Image Descriptions: Top left image: the wooden sign at the summit of Kilimanjaro which reads: Mount Kilimanjaro. Congratulations you are now at Uhuru Peak, Tanzania 5895m/19341ft. AMSL. Africa’s highest point. World’s highest free standing mountain.One of the world’s largest volcanos. World heritage and wonder of Africa. Top central image: Amar smiles at the camera with a large backpack on. He's wearing a blue t-shirt with the rucksack straps across his chest. It's a sunny day. Top right image: the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance which has a flat table-top summit. A sparse number of trees can be seen in the foreground. Bottom right image: the Rafiki Thabo logo. On a black background, an abstract, block green image of a child with their arms up high in a V shape looking behind them stands to the left. On the right reads in white text Rafiki Thabo Foundation. Bottom left image: A group of young African children in brightly coloured clothes smile and pose for the camera.