A year and counting.....

February 23. A year from today The Kili 5 will be jumping on a BA flight bound for Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro airport via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

Seems like plenty of time, right? But just think back to what you were doing on February 23, 2005.....and you'll realise how quickly 12 months can disappear.

What's to do?

• Get fit...and stay fit
• Climb Mount Snowdon - scheduled for the May Day bank holiday as a bit of light training and also the first time The Kili 5 will have all met up
• Raise £25,000 for World Vision....£1,376 down and £23,624 to go
• Remember to leave some headspace for normal life - this whole Kili thing is already beginning to take over my life
• Nearer the time get kitted out. Gill and I did impulse buy summit assault balaclavas in the Milton Keynes snowdome on Tuesday...and no, we weren't anywhere near the Securitas depot in Kent on Wednesday. Honest, guv

Other than that I think we're there...piece of cake, eh?

Tanzania via Milton Keynes

If the truth be told it wouldn't be my first choice for a day's holiday, but on Tuesday this week Gill and I made the pilgrimage to Milton Keynes around the M25 and up the M1

Why? To visit World Vision HQ. I set up this blog to chart progress of The Kili 5's attempt on Kili in February 2007, and also to try and raise £25,000 for this very worthwhile charity

For the last few weeks I've been in touch with Peter Halewood, the major donor (funds rather than organs) executive at World Vision, and he kindly invited us up to talk through some ideas to generate interest and to find out more about how and where any funds will go

We're looking to help out the Kisiriri area in central Tanzania. Infant mortality rate? 104 out of every 1,000. Average life expectancy? About 43 years. Poor? The average annual income in this district is US$140. So if we can hit the £25,000 target that would represent about 300 years of income for 1 person. Imagine what they could do with that sort of relative wealth

Here's a summary of a few elements of the World Vision Project Plan for the community from October 2006 to September 2007:

Education:

1. Facilitate 170 workshops to educate children on HIV/AIDS and malaria
2. Construct 6 classrooms and 3 teachers' offices (currently there are 2 secondary schools in the community for 469 pupils)
3. Support 200 orphans and vulnerable children with uniforms and school materials

Health:

1. Train 38 village workers, 20 traditional healers and 38 birth attendants on HIV/AIDS and malaria awareness
2. Construct 2 staff quarters
3. Purchase 200 insecticide-treated nets

Agriculture:

1. Train 20 focus group farmers on improved farming methods
2. Provide farmers with good quality seeds (eg sunflower and millet)

Income Generation:

1. Provide training on business skills to potential working groups
2. Provide small loans for people to set up businesses

Leadership Development:

1. Conduct community committee meeting and workshops on HIV/AIDS and malaria
2. Conduct village leaders' meetings on budgeting
3. Construct a training centre

As I mentioned in a previous article World Vision take a long term view of the problems facing a community like Kisiriri, and look to provide them with the tools and knowledge to improve their own lives, rather than just throw money at a short term fix. World Vision's input into the Kisiriri Area Development Programme is planned to last for 15 years

We also met Sophia Mwangi, the charity's really helpful PR guru who will hopefully pull out all the stops to spread the Kili50 word for us. Sophia's Kenyan husband's grandfather lives on the northern slopes of Kili. If we were doing the Rongai route we could have dropped in for a cuppa....

Many thanks to everyone at World Vision for their hospitality, generosity of spirit - and t-shirts!

We're looking forward to working with you to raise the £25,000 for the Kisiriri community as a small measure of our thanks for allowing us to enjoy (if that proves to be the right word) the majesty of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro

And please click here or here to contribute if any of this has struck a chord

Explore!

I mentioned earlier on how I was flummoxed by the huge number of choices to make once I'd decided to CELEBRATE my 50th by strolling up Kilimanjaro

One of the toughest was the choice of trekking company, or outfitter as they're called for some unknown esoteric haute couturish sort of reason

High risk strategy: sign up a local guide and porters in downtown Moshi or Arusha on arrival in Tanzania

Sensible option: prebook a UK or international operator

Choices: overwhelming

Decision: Explore!

So far so good...Fran Hughes, the group organiser, has been great. We started talking about a larger private group but when a push came to a show me the money shove we were left with The Kili 5. So we've joined Explore's February 23 2007 departure, a maximum of 16, coughed up our deposits, have (sort of) started training and look forward to meeting up with the rest of the team for this incredible experience in just over a year's time

Here's the summary of the Machame trek that we've opted for, and here's Explore's excellent dossier detailing each scary day and very long list of equipment and other considerations

They have kindly offered to include a mention of this blog in their great e-newsletter to help with the fundraising effort for World Vision...£1,300 so far on the way to the challenging £25,000 target. Every contribution gratefully received...here's why World Vision, more details about sponsorship options and where your money will go, and how to CONTRIBUTE ONLINE NOW

And congratulations to Explore on their recent success of being voted as best travel website by readers of Wanderlust magazine...which by the way is the best thing out there for independent travel articles, advice and photos, I reckon

Explore...a metaphor for life and a great name for an adventure travel company. Stay tuned to keep in touch with our progress towards Kili 2007

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness

Mark Twain

Neph # 1's 21st

Who'd 'ave thought it? Neph # 1 Steve was born 21 years ago on February 18, 1985. Here's a few snaps of him multitasking - celebrating, training for Kili.....and with his youthful harem