Mount Kilimanjaro Ascent
brings together 35 Climbers, from Urban
Youth to Executives to Foster Peace and
International Understanding through Sport
Geneva/Nairobi, 26 February
2010 - During a milestone year for sport
events, 35 climbers from around the world
are about to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro -
the Roof of Africa - to highlight the key
role of sport in fostering peace and development.
The fifth annual climb
organized by Nairobi-based organization
the Kilimanjaro Initiative (KI) will take
place on 1-5 March, bringing together climbers
from countries including Antigua & Barbuda,
Brazil, Burundi, Eritrea, France, Grenada,
Italy, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa,
Tanzania, the UK, and the US.
In a powerful symbol
of the unifying and stimulating role of
sport in community and individual development,
the group will be made up of 10 urban youth
from disadvantaged communities throughout
Africa and Brazil, as well as representatives
from the private sector, the United Nations
and NGOs including Fight for Peace, the
Monaco-based international organization
Peace and Sport, and US-based Play Soccer.
The climb comes in a
key year for sport: from the FIFA World
Cup, which is coming to the African continent
for the first time this June in South Africa,
to the Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics,
the Commonwealth Games in India and the
first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore,
mass sport events around the world are increasingly
being used as vehicles for sustainability,
solidarity and development.
Since 2006, the Kilimanjaro
Initiative has brought more than 100 youth,
athletes, musicians and representatives
of the private and public sector to the
summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The annual
ascent to the highest peak in Africa is
organized each year around a different theme.
In 2007, the objective was to stress the
need for youth empowerment and employment;
in 2008, to foster peace in Kenya, which
was wracked by the post-election violence;
and in 2009, the goal was to raise awareness
about the dangers of climate change in relation
to urban safety.
This goal of the 2010
climb is to highlight the key role of sport
as a tool for development
Wilfried Lemke, Special
Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport
for Development and Peace, said: "The
annual ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro organized
by the Kilimanjaro Initiative provides a
unique opportunity for interaction by underprivileged
youth with international representatives,
providing life-time contacts and an unforgettable
experience, giving them a head start for
their future."
The Initiative was founded
in 2005 by Tim Challen, a Geneva-based staff
member of the United Nations Federal Credit
Union (UNFCU), after he was shot during
an armed robbery at his apartment in Nairobi.
Following extensive surgery and a long period
of recovery, Challen returned to East Africa
with a desire to help create a safer and
better environment for urban youth and to
provide them with opportunities to bring
about constructive change in their communities.
By reaching out to urban
youth from around the world, the Kilimanjaro
Initiative's objective is to empower them
by offering them training, experience and
contacts within the 'development' world,
skills they can later apply to the benefit
of the youth groups they represent. Moreover,
Kilimanjaro Initiative has upgraded a sports
field in Kibera slum and helped turn a former
hot spot for crime into a 'safe' focal point
for the community. "We approached those
who were committing crimes on the field
and employed them for some of the renovation
work. They have now formed their own brotherhood
and set up a small enterprise selling vegetables.
It proves mentalities can change and that
we must do what we can to provide opportunities
to disenfranchised youth." said Challen.
"Sport can contribute
to the development of communities, build
bridges, and tap the full potential of young
women and men. This kind of action and spirit
exemplifies the type of discussions that
will take place at the 5th World Urban Forum
in Rio de Janeiro on 22 to 26 March,"
states Dr. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive
Director UN-HABITAT.
Over the last three
years, with continued support and interest
from individuals and partners, the Kilimanjaro
Initiative has demonstrated a commitment
towards providing safer and better communities
for all. The NGO is driven by a spirit of
understanding and assistance towards those
in need of support. KI has hired youth from
previous climbs to work at the NGO, giving
them a platform to bring about solutions
and part of the decision-making processes
that affect their lives and communities.
For all of them it was their first official
paycheck.
Michael J. Connery Jr.,
President/CEO of UNFCU, who will be climbing
the mountain for the second time said, "We
are very proud of Tim's efforts and we fully
support Kilimanjaro Initiative. Sport has
the power to do so much good and that is
what we want to achieve by reaching the
summit of Africa."
Notes to Editors:
The Kilimanjaro Initiative,
as its name indicates, is inspired by Mount
Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa
and the highest free standing mountain in
the world.
Every year, KI organizes
an ascent of the giant sleeping volcano,
bringing together youths and community stakeholders
from around the world. The climbs are a
way of raising awareness of some of the
problems confronted by young women and men
and to collect funds for community-based
projects aimed at youth empowerment.
The main objective of
the Kilimanjaro Initiative is to encourage
young persons to have self-belief and to
take on a constructive role in their communities.
KI also raises funds for urban projects
- among other initiatives, the NGO upgraded
a sport field in the Nairobi slum of Kibera,
turning a hotspot of criminal activities
into safe urban space where youth can play
sports.
Along with 10 youth
from disadvantaged communities throughout
Africa and Brazil, the 2010 climb will bring
together 25 representatives from the public
and private sector and the UN system. Climbers
will include staff of the UN Office on Sport
for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), United
Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU), UN-HABITAT,
and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
as well as NGOs including Peace & Sport,
Play Soccer and Fight For Peace.
The Kilimanjaro Initiative
has so far garnered support from: UN-HABITAT,
UNEP, the United Nations Office of the Special
Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport
for Development and Peace; Kenyan and Tanzanian
authorities; UNFCU; and other public/private
organizations at the local and national
level. The Kilimanjaro Initiative will continue
to build on this support and looks forward
to creating new partnerships.
For more information
on the Kilimanjaro Initiative, please visit
the website: www.kilimanjaroinitiative.org
or
For further information,
please contact: Elisabeth Philippe, Business
Development and Public Relations Manager,
UNFCU
World Environment Ministers Signal Resolve
to Realize Sustainable Development
