Occasionally, those who climb Mt. Kilimanjaro make it a mission to help the locals in meaningful ways through pledge drives, etc., as they work toward the summit. Embark is proud to be guiding a duo in late August that has founded Operation Elevation.

David and Ingrid are, in their own words, “seeking to give back to the country and community that we have the privilege of visiting.” So they’re partnering with Amani Children’s Home at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the hopes to raise money for Moshi’s street children and orphans.

The goals of Amani, which is Swahili for “peace,” are to provide healthy food, education, counseling, and medical care for every child who turns to the group for help. Since it was founded in 2001, the Tanzanian-run Amani group has rescued hundreds of children from the streets, where risk of HIV transmission, malnutrition, and abuse is high.

A small amount goes so far in Tanzania. Take the following list provided by the group as an example:

$20 – Feeds one child for one month
$50 – Provides medical care for one child for one year
$150 – Pays complete primary school fees (tuition, fees, uniform, school lunch, etc.) for one child for one year
$348 – Provides full care (school, clothing, food, medical care, and counseling) for one child for one year

If you plan to climb Kilimanjaro, consider setting up your own pledge drive with the Amani. And if you donate to the group in the name of Operation Elevation, it will be all the more inspiring for David and Ingrid to push to the summit of Africa’s highest peak.