About School of Hope

School of Hope, part of the Thembalitsha Foundation, is a registered special-needs school for Grades 9 to 12 students based in Cape Town, South Africa. They have 80 students, all with varying degrees of abuse, trauma and neglect. Whether they have spent time on the streets, been caught up in drugs, gangs and prostitution from a young age, or whether their home environments have exposed them to alcohol, sexual and physical abuse, they are all in need of a special focussed form of education and counselling.

They may be two or three years older than the other learners in their grade and therefore unsuitable for mainstream schooling in government. The School of Hope is their only chance of completing their education. They are in great need of funds to employ more specialised teachers and general costs such as food for the students.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

On my way home

On the way down

Descending down steeply through the rainforest towards Mweka Gate and our exit from the mountain, I am still amazed by this diverse and truly fascinating mountain. Not just in terms of the vegetation, but also the huge variety of people that attempt to summit.  

Mweka Gate (our exit) is a real hubbub of activity. You can buy all sorts of souvenirs, have your boots cleaned (which I happily paid $2 for!) and get your "I have done it" certificate. Extremely touristy, but I guess that is exactly what we were.

At least none of us had the need to travel in the Kili ambulance!

 
Hotel and shower!

When we initially got to the hotel, it seemed like a 2* hotel, but now it felt like a 4*. Oh to get into a shower!!! And the luxury of having a Western toilet to sit on!!! I had to wash my hair twice to try and get the grid out.  And yes, I know it doesn't take much to keep people happy after they descend from Kili.

I feel good knowing that we are a source of income for the Tanzanians, and hope that the whole Kilimanjaro Nature Reserve will be run properly so that it can be preserved for the future. Looking at photos from 30 years ago where the snow covered most of the mountain, and it still snowed most of the time, you realise that the beautiful ice glaciers that we saw will not be there much longer. 

On this mountain, friendships are born but sadly also broken. In our case it was four almost strangers being thrown together, but it was lovely being with positive like-minded people, "sticking" together.

Most people taking Kili on are adventurous and determined. But some arrive psychologically unprepared for just how difficult it is to summit and mentally don't cope with the challenge. Pushing through the pain makes the victory so much sweeter and something you should treasure for the rest of your life. My friend Cath taught me to write down my short and long term goals, as this serves as a reminder to ourselves and will help to make the goal/dream a reality.

I am excited to see my family again tomorrow but also sad to leave the magic of the mountain behind.

Lala Salama! Sleep well!


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