"Gynaecological disease is the 'Elephant in the Room'
of women's healthcare"
Beautifully Handmade
Kilimanjaro Trek: 17/02/16 UPDATE!
In January 2016, 49 members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are taking on the challenge of trekking to the summit of the highest mountain in Africa - all with the aim of raising as much money as possible to help improve healthcare for women worldwide.
Over 6 days we will be ascending to an altitude of 5896m (19340 ft) from the North via the Rongai route. At this altitude we will be tested to the limit - not only due to the extremes of climate we will face and long days trekking, but also due to the effects of altitude meaning the amount of oxygen in the air is limited.
This is a huge challenge, which will test us physically and mentally, but also be an amazing experience.
Hopefully by doing this we can raise awareness of the challenges to maternal and women's health all over the world, and raise as much money as possible to improve this.
How can you support us?
We welcome all support that is offered!
You can:
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Make a donation
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Buy a sock monkey
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Promote our challenge - share the link for this website, or have a fundraising event for us
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Send us a message of support, or any hints or tips for training or climbing Kilimanjaro you might have!
You can send a message by using the contact form on the 'order your monkey and donate' page, accessed by the tab above.
Or to donate click here
At midnight on the 28th Jan 2016, after 5 days of uphill walking, 21 of RCOG’s finest members and associates set off for the final push of the challenge of a lifetime to climb the highest mountain in Africa.
With 50% oxygen availability (meaning resting O2 saturations of less than 85%), in minus 10 temperature and the pitch black of night they started a relentless uphill slog to the crater rim.
After a couple of hours, the initial high spirits and accompanying soundtrack descended into a silent uphill struggle as each individual battled tiredness, nausea, breathlessness and cold to maintain a slow ascent up the frozen scree slope.
Overriding thoughts such as - ‘I hope I still have toes because I can no longer feel them’, ‘Wouldn’t it just have been easier to organise a fundraising raffle?’ and ‘Is the top of this slope actually getting further away now?’ – was the promise we had made to ourselves and our sponsors that we would complete our challenge, raising funds and awareness for a cause that is close to all our hearts.
6-7 hrs later 20 people stood at Gilman’s point on the edge of the crater, caught their breath, and watched the sunrise over Mwenzi peak…contemplating the further slow trek around the crater rim to where the sunlight hit the summit of Kilimanjaro, and if it was really possible to walk yet further uphill and still manage to perfuse our vital organs with enough oxygen to survive.
Then with determination to succeed, the help of 13 amazing and resilient guides, support of our fellow trekkers and thought of a celebratory beer or Milo at the end of the trek, we continued to put one foot in front of the other and at approximately 9am that day we stood on the roof of Africa.
We would have breathed a sigh of relief had we any breath to spare, but instead we settled for a photo or two with looks of triumph, and a quick snack and drink before the further the 8 hour trek back down to Kibo camp and onwards to Horombo huts.
We had overcome our fears and doubts, done what we had set out to do and we were both exhausted and proud. More importantly in the process we had raised over £50,000 to go towards improving the health of women worldwide – an overwhelming achievement!!!
If you are one of our many kind sponsors, supporters and great friends then please accept our heartfelt THANK YOU for all your generosity – and understand that we absolutely could not have achieved this without your contribution. The most important attribute required to make it to the summit is resolve and determination not to turn back no matter how difficult the journey – and that comes from the knowledge of the amazing support for the challenge from friends and colleagues with us on the mountain and all over the world.
This is not only a personal success story but an overwhelming collective success for the group, our supporters and women worldwide.
