|
| |
How We Began | Our Motivations
In 1998, 15 friends gathered to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The climb had been several years in the making as we arranged to meet in Moshi, Tanzania for a five-day climb to the roof of Africa. Half of us already lived in East Africa, where we were working as development workers and missionaries in Uganda. The others flew in from various locations in the US.
After reaching the glaciers of Kibo peak, the 30-mile hike back down the mountain provided us with a panoramic view of the Tanzanian countryside. As we walked and talked, we could see people far in the valleys below going about their everyday lives. Talks with our sandal-clad porters reminded us that the money we collectively spent climbing the mountain (at the time a climbing permit was $300) would have been a small fortune not only to the average Tanzanian, but to the average Tanzanian village!
Before we reached base camp, the concept of the Kibo Group was born.
Those of us who had been blessed to reach Africa's highest point would
contribute annually to an informal development fund that might empower
African communities to climb to higher points. There were no plans
for any formalities, just a handshake agreement between a few to contribute
to an account that would help fund creative development initiatives
in African communities. There would be no overhead, no salaries, no
office, no fund raisers. Time would tell if we were caught up in the
excitement and emotion of the climb or if we would stick with it.
Five years later, we have formalized our organization into a fully
incorporated US 501c3. We have maintained our goal of no overhead
thanks to many hours volunteered by some of those who climbed that
day.
|
|
    |
|
|
