Vodafone’s Business Segment Marketing Manager, Maria Vella-Galea, is taking part in the Kilimanjaro Challenge 3, a charity event which will see around 20 participants climb Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, this 29 December. Vodafone Malta Limited promised Maria to match the sum she raised on her own and CEO Hatem Dowidar presented her with a cheque towards this cause.
Kilimanjaro is a national park and a World Heritage Site. Within the park, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, the world’s tallest freestanding massif and one of the world’s largest volcanoes. This snow-capped dormant volcano, towering almost 6km above Tanzania’s savannah, is known as the “roof of Africa”. Yet it is possible to reach the 5,895m (19,340ft) summit without any technical climbing ability.
This classic African trek passes through cloud forest, alpine moorland, high desert and a barren summit zone to reach Uhuru peak, the highest point on the African continent.
A trek on this beautiful peak, which is one of the world’s coveted Seven Summits, is a daunting, exciting challenge in defiance of extreme altitude.
As part of the gruelling training, the team will be travelling to Sicily to climb Mount Etna, between 6 and 8 October, followed by the Round Gozo Trek on the weekend of 3 November.
The Kilimanjaro Challenge 3, will follow two successful expeditions held in the previous two years and which enabled the collection of Lm76,000.
These were invested in the construction of a school and convent in the Ethiopian village of Bulbula, in the Meki province.
This year’s challenge, aims to collect Lm45,000, Lm15,000 of which will be donated towards the completion of the complex, while the remaining Lm30,000 will go towards financing Amy Zahra’s prosthesis.
Amy had lost her limbs through meningococcal meningitis.
Apart from receiving sponsorships, the team is also raising funds by organising a number of fun activities.
These include a Taster Diving session on Saturday 30 September, a dinner on 14 October, a Halloween Night planned for the end of October and a sailing trip between 19 and 22 October.
Other events are in the pipeline, more information on these events can be found on the team’s website at www.kilimanjarochallenge3
.com.
Details for Donations
SMS
•5061-7371 to donate Lm1
•5061-8077 to donate Lm2
•5061-8927 to donate Lm3
Bank deposits
•Bank of Valletta (Account number 40015232535),
•HSBC Bank Malta, (Account number 75108050001)
•APS Bank (Account number 20000443537)
About the team
The team is composed of approximately 20 volunteers, coming from different walks of life and varying age groups from early 20s to mid-40s.
The team meets up three times a week for group physical training, but also undertakes individual training on a daily basis.
Group training consists of early morning walks of approximately 8km, at a fast pace.
Sunday mornings are generally dedicated to longer treks ranging from 12km and 14km, which will eventually build up to over 35km.
The team also undertakes circuit training, which involves trekking and climbing up and down the clay slopes, in the Ghajn Tuffieha Bay area.
This training will prepare the team for the tough trek they need to complete to reach the Kilimanjaro Summit.