Madame Ovary's Pelvic Trust

Infograph: Why I’m climbing Kilimanjaro this summer, who I’m climbing for, and why you should donate.

Why I’m climbing - part 1 aka What is the Right to Live Association?

There are more than a million persons in Egypt with physical or mental disabilities living in the fringes of society, out of which 3-4% suffer from an intellectual disability. Statistics for the disabled, however, are not very recent and numbers could be a lot higher because families are reluctant to disclose information about such members at home. The disabled are hidden from ‘polite society’ because one of the many commonly held, but mistaken, beliefs is that disabilities are a form of divine retribution for a past misdeed, and therefore a cause of shame.

Due to these widespread social attitudes, people who are ‘different’ from the majority are marginalised, maybe even feared and loathed, certainly neglected and isolated. They are therefore denied a Right to Live.

The Right to Live Association is a non-profit organisation catering to the needs of children and adults with mental disabilities. It was established in 1981 by the parents and families of those with intellectual disabilities. They provide a wide range of services which includes a rehabilitation center, vocational and pre-vocational workshops, two residential homes for young men and women, a training center for personnel working in the field and an early intervention center.

The aim of the association is to give the best possible services for the special needs individual and their families, and to encourage and train them to reach the highest level of independence depending on their own individual skills.

Thanks to the help of many individuals and organizations, they have become one of the most reputable organizations working in the field in Egypt, with their services extending far beyond their initial premises to cover Egypt as a whole. This has been achieved through a number of protocols signed with different organizations to provide training and consultations to various associations working in the field, in addition to employment opportunities for persons with disabilities who graduated from other centers associations.

To ensure the continuity of our services during these hard times, we are requesting your support to the Right to Live Association by sponsoring one or more of our special children and youths. The cost of sponsoring one student in 2012 is LE30000 annually (equivalent to $5000).

The Association depends on grants, donations, sponsorships and fund-raising events to support its noble cause. One of the initiatives that the RTLA uses to raise funds is the ‘7 day climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro’ in Tanzania.

I am going to take up the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and intend to raise a minimum of USD 10,000 to donate to the Right to Live Association for the Intellectually Disabled. It’s as simple as clicking the ‘Donate’ button on the right. (that-a-way »»>)

With your donation, you will ensure that a mentally disabled individual will continue to receive the services and care (s)he deserves, and that (s)he, like everyone else, has the right to live, work, play and be part of life.

Packing list

I’m heading on over to Adventure HQ today to look at gear for my trip in four months (read: I’m shitting bricks and need to know how broke I’ll be when I get back). Some wonderful members of the community have already expressed interest in loaning me some of their unused equipment for the trip, which is great! This means I’ll have more resources to donate to the RTLA. If any of you have some of the below items on hand (not underwear, thanks!), and wouldn’t mind helping a sister out by loaning them to me, (or Azher from Flea 4 Charity) for a couple of weeks, I’d be more than grateful.

All the help I can get is welcome, and there’s even a donate box on the right-hand sidebar. Remember, my target is to raise USD 10,000 for The Right to Live Association.

:)

Progress reports when I get back!

Technical clothing
Waterproof jacket
Insulated jacket
Soft jacket
Long sleeve shirt - moisture wicking
Short sleeve shirt - moisture wicking
Waterproof pants with side zipper
Hiking pants
Fleece pants
Shorts
Long underwear - moisture wicking
Underwear - moisture wicking
Sports bras

Headwear
Brimmed hat for sun protection
Knit hat
Balaclava
Bandana

Handwear
Warm waterproof gloves
Thin synthetic glove liners

Footwear
Hiking boots, warm, waterproof, broken in (ankle support)
Trail/running shoes
Thick socks (preferably wool)
Sock liners
Waterproof gaiters

Accessories
Sunglasses
Waterproof backpack cover
Poncho
32 oz waterbottle
Towel
Pee bottle (lol!)
Plastic bags

Equipment
Warm sleeping bag
Sleeping bag liner
Trekking poles
Head lamp with extra batteries
~~Non metal duffel bag~~ Donated by the lovely Mohammed Parham aka @wildpeeta
Daypack for personal gear

Other
Toiletries
Prescriptions
Sunscreen
Lip balm with SPF
Insect repellent containing DEET
First aid kit
Hand sanitiser
Dettol wipes
Wet wipes
Toilet paper
High calorie lightweight snacks
Small pencil and notebook
Still camera - extra batteries
Video camera - extra batteries