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!
We awoke and were pleased with the warm temperatures at this elevation. It was our final day on the mountain and we broke camp for the last time.
Before we hit the trail the guides and porters had promised to thank us and say good-bye with some Swahili songs. Our guides and porters plus the crew that had been supporting the three Americans joined forces and put on a great show. It was another example of the beauty of Africa. There were roughly 40 guys on the side of a mountain without so much as a drum to accompany them. Yet the performance they gave was something that none of us will ever forget. You can watch the video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km5WP7T_XAY
After saying our good-byes to the porters, we started our descent. It was a comfortable walk on an "African sidewalk", made of packed earth. The rain forest was lusher and greener on this side of the mountain compared to our first day, since we were on the wet side of the mountain.
We arrived at Mweka Gate after a three hour hike. We waved good-bye to the porters who climbed onto the truck that would take them down to Moshi. We posed for our final picture in front of the Tusker vehicle that would return us to our hotel in Moshi for our first shower in 10 days.
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