Climbing for purpose

Readers may have noticed some friends and I have been climbing the high peaks of the Western Cape this year. We’ve picked the 2000 metre high summits in the province as our goal, and have already climbed and written about two of them, Buffelshoek and Sneeukop.

Apart from getting fit and sourcing trekking stories for the site, we are hoping to raise awareness for an NGO we are involved with called Educo Africa.

Educo Africa is a dynamic learning organization that facilitates the healing, empowerment, training and development of people. They encourage deep personal transformation towards social change, a valuing of diversity and respect for the natural environment.

That means they use the wilderness and the mountains as a platform for people to engage in experiential (action) learning, adventure-based activities, and developmental practice principles on life changing programmes.

Rooted in a belief in the therapeutic power of wilderness, the rich value of dialogue, deep reflection, and rites of passage methodology, Educo Africa hopes to create an enabling environment for people to grow, develop and heal, to enhance the relationship with self, with others and with the natural world.

Our bigger dream is to carry this concept of climbing peaks to raise awareness for Educo Africa and the work they do, from the slopes of the Cape Fold Mountains to the High Himalayas. Our dream is to attempt K2 and Broad Peak in 2009 and Shismapangma in late 2008. All three mountains are 8000 metre summits that have yet to have a South African ascent.

Read more about Educo Africa by visiting the site at www.educo.org.za and contact Trevor Johnston or myself at info@educo.org.za to see how you can get involve and pledge your support. And of course, enjoy the stories as we climb the highest mountains at the end of the world, to the top of the world!