We did it!

We did it!
On the Roof of Africa

Who are we & why did we do this?

We are three couples living in Nova Scotia who were intrigued by the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. We have all been blessed to live in Canada with good health and rewarding careers. However, all of us know of a family member or friend that has been touched in some way by mental illness. We decided to dedicate our climb to rasing money for Laing House. We are proud to say that we achieved all of our goals. We returned home safely; we raised over $117,000 for Laing House, almost twice our original goal; and we all summitted on Sept 18. The trip was certainly a challenge but many of us say it was the trip of a lifetime in spite of the fact that all of us have travelled extensively. However, the last word belongs to the most famous African, Nelson Mandela, who said, "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb".

About Laing House

Laing House is a support centre for youth living with mental illness. It is a youth-driven and community-based organization where young people between 16 and 30 years of age, who are living with a mental illness, can get the support they need to rebuild their lives. Since opening in 2001, Laing House has assisted over 300 youth from across the Maritimes. There are currently 100 members of Laing House. Programs, including employment, healthy living, education, and peer and family support, help youth recognize and develop their own strengths, talents and resources in a welcoming, respectful and collaborative environment. Laing House is the first of its kind in Canada.

The supportive environment of Laing House allows youth and staff to build meaningful relationships. They work together to create personal development, community education, and advocacy programs. These experiences and opportunities provide youth with support and resources to further educational and vocational paths. They develop the life skills needed to form relationships, secure safe housing, and experience hope for their futures. A variety of unique programs and services are employed to attain these goals. Laing House looks forward to a day where the stigma surrounding mental illness has dissipated and there is equal opportunity for all.

Thank you to all Laing House supporters!

The support that Laing House has received as a result of this climb has been fantastic. We wish to express our gratitude to all of you. Like all charities, Laing House feels the impact of the recession. The extra funds raised as a result of this climb will provide Laing House with the resources to continue to serve young people struggling with mental health issues. Thank you!

Sept 8

We arrived safe and sound in Tanzania after a long, but generally pleasant flight.  It was 27 hours door to door.  However, everyone got some sleep, the flights were on time and the food was pretty good for economy.  On the flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro we were all in Row 39.  As luck would have it, we all had at least one empty seat beside us in a plane that was almost full.  KLM did lose one piece of Hans' luggage.  However, they knew where it was and promised to deliver it to the hotel on Monday morning.

The Keys Hotel in Moshi was clean with nice rooms & decent service.  We had our first meal in Africa; local seafood with two bottles of South African white wine that went down quite easily.

The following day we toured and visited a local kindergarten.  Moshi is fortunate to have universal primary education.  This is made possible by great work by the churches, in particular, the Lutheran church which ran the kindergarten that we visited.  Rena and Dani were quite a hit with the students as you can see.
 We saw a local dried fish operation.  These were lake fish that are preserved with a natural drying process.

We then visited a local Batik artist who does beautiful work.  I'm quite confident that some of this work will find its way back to Canada.

Following a great lunch at the local golf club we visited a few local shops for some retail therapy.
Hans lost interest and decided to charm some of the local ladies who were quite interested.  Rena and Dani had a great afternoon, with the "personal shopper", who works for Tusker, our outfitter for the climb.

Tomorrow it's Arusha National Park for Hans and Dani and a visit with the Anglican Bishop of Kilimanjaro for Henry and Rena.
Posted by The Kili Team

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