CLIMBING KILI FOR SCHOOLGIRLS
Stroke victim joins Thuli on Kilimanjaro trek
A CAPE Town woman wants to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in an effort to improve the lives of schoolgirls.
Mari van Wyk, from Durbanville, alongside former public protector Thuli Madonsela and a group of other women are scheduled to climb Kilimanjaro on Women’s Day as part of the Trek4Mandela initiative to raise funds for Caring4Girls menstrual hygiene programme.
The initiative provides monthly menstrual support and effective hygiene and health education and aims at reaching two million girls by 2020.
“These young girls have many mountains to climb on a daily basis.
“The circumstances they live in, many do not have regular meals each day, clothing, or transport and to be without such a basic necessity as a sanitary pad, when they enter womanhood is unthinkable,” said Van Wyk.
Having experienced a series of migrainous strokes, Van Wyk said she wanted to break down taboos.
“I also have a personal reason. “If I can conquer Kilimanjaro, I will have conquered all the insecurities I have about my physical abilities, especially after the strokes I had”, she said
Van Wyk said she was honoured to be tackling this challenge alongside the former public protector.
“Madonsela is an inspirational woman with moral values, backbone and integrity. She has the most contagious laugh, excellent sense of humour and can still appreciate small things,” said Van Wyk.
Summitting mountains as high as Kilimanjaro is risky and can be fatal but van Wyk is determined and said preparations through hiking trails and following a healthy diet has become part of her daily life.
“I’m reading as much as possible about Kilimanjaro, the environment, what to expect, other people’s experiences. I am constantly testing my physical abilities now to know what my body is capable of,” said Van Wyk
LexisNexis SA chief operating officer Stephen Okelo Odongo said: “In Madonsela, we see a commitment to social justice and the rule of law, and advancing the rule of law is our core purpose around the world.
“It’s a great honour to be involved in this cause which she has aligned with, because the values she represents of truth, justice and equality under the law, so closely align with our own.”
Odongo said for young girls living in poverty, everyday is an uphill battle.
“There is lack of understanding, empathy and support for young women going through puberty in schools that are not equipped to provide adequately for their dignity,” he said, calling on corporates and individuals to support the initiative.