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  • Relatives Support Programme
  • Malaika Children’s Home
  • Design Malaika Village
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  • with money
  • with time
  • with gifts
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  • Organisation
  • Trustees
  • Contact
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Kilimanjaro Trip Report

4th-10th September 2009

Rucksacks full of gear and cameras at the ready, the trek suffered an early set back with Kaanthan Jawahar unfortunately being taken ill and unable to climb. We know that Karny would have given it his all. Day one was an 8km walk on a steep track through tropical rainforest along the 35km to the top. Early to bed and early to rise, the next morning saw the 11km trek up to the second huts, rapidly taking us out of the forest and across rolling alpine moorland. It was here that we gained our first sight of the jagged and foreboding Mawenzi, shortly followed by the majestic, snow-capped and disconcertingly-distant Kibo summit, our final destination. The hours passed quickly with the magnificent sight of the summit and our arrival at hut two (3700m), the busiest on the mountain. Nestled just above the cloud line the huts cater for both ascending and descending parties and so we were able to get to know our fellow climbers as well as the army of mice that trooped out after meals. The third day we had planned for the purposes of acclimatisation and we headed up to the Mawenzi hut at 4500m, once again affording spectacular views. It was here that we met two Americans who went by the moniker of ‘Team Diamox’ and treated our decision not to use the altitude-acclimatisation medication with some scepticism. Day four saw the exceedingly long hike up to the Kibo huts and the transition from moorland to the other-worldy Saddle, a dusty and barren plane bridging between the two peaks. With the wind howling we made our slow way up to the hut nestled at the base of Kibo, trying to ignore the vast and careering path that led on upwards to the summit. We arrived at the hut, a cold stone affair, at around four in the afternoon and tried to get some rest before the summit push scheduled for midnight. Here the nerves began to kick in. It was difficult to eat, impossible to sleep. With weary eyes we stepped out into the freezing cold with our guides and began the back-breaking crawl up the moonlit slopes. Immediately one could feel the altitude, each step increasing in difficulty. We struggled to keep our eyes open, often falling asleep on our feet in the short rests, fumbling for water with our frozen hands. After what felt like days we found that we had only made it to 5000m, just 300m of the 1000m to the summit. It was a credit to our resolve and the encouragement of our guides that, as the sun rose above the vast horizon behind us, we clambered over the final rocks to the crater rim at Gilman’s Point, 5600m and the highest that any of us had ever been. The remainder of the trek, though less steep than that to Gilman’s would increase the effects of the altitude and take several hours. We pushed on down into the shadow of the rim and towards the teasingly close summit. How long it took I cannot be sure but we seemed to enter auto-pilot, simultaneously awed and almost unaware of the majestic icefields emerging below us. Arm-in-arm we soldiered up the final stretch and found ourselves, five days after we began, at the summit 5895m. It is difficult to express our happiness, our relief and our awareness of what we had achieved.

Kilimanjaro is not a technical mountain; it is not even the hardest trek in the world. But the feeling of standing at the summit, of looking down upon one of the world’s most beautiful and diverse continents is a feeling that you wouldn’t trade for anything. Knowing that all this had been for Malaika Kids makes our memories all the more special and our summit concluded several months of hard work. And so, as quickly as it had come, it was a wearying two-day downhill slog and back down to reality. Haris Ahmed

A Message from Kaanthan

When Haris, Viktoria and myself made the decision to attempt Kilimanjaro, we felt that we should do so for a charity. Back in the UK, we decided upon Malaika Kids. What caught our eye about this charity was its clear goal and it was apparent that any donation, no matter how small, was used in such a way as to maximise its potential. Upon arriving in Dar Es Salaam (August 2009), we were greeted at the ferry port by Najma and Sameer, the mother and son who look after the orphanage locally. They were very friendly and knowledgeable and it was clear from the start that this orphanage was in good hands. On our arrival to the orphanage, I felt that the place itself was kept very well. The staff and the children were very welcoming. The children were shy at first but that soon changed! They were so full of life and were very interested in our cameras and sunglasses! Whilst there, we spoke to the children and took their photographs to help set up the “sponsor a child” scheme. Needless to say, with all the energy flying around, it took us a while to do so! We also had a short tour of the orphanage. The accommodation was of good quality but it was a bit cramped for all the children. However, there was plenty of space outside. All in all, we were very impressed with both the facilities and the running of the orphanage. The building of the Children’s Village will alleviate any problems with regards to space. Sameer explained the plans for the Village. Again, it was this goal which drew us towards this charity in the first place. And the passion in which Sameer spoke of their future plans was very heartening. We left satisfied that we had picked the right cause to support and we hope to continue our support in the future.