A group of Emirate women have climbed Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, to raise money for girls education in Tanzania. The group, led by Suzanne Houby, the first Arab woman to climb Mount Everest, aimed to raise funds in support of education in the East African country. The climber raised $135,000 in the process. The team of 9 Emirati students and three faculty members from Abu Dhabi and Khalifa City Women's Colleges commenced their adventure late last month over a school break. It took the team, who trained for months in advance, 7 days to reach the summit of 5,895 meters. The team had to put up with severe weather conditions, including freezing temperatures, hail and rain. Kilimanjaro is also the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The women received a warm welcome back at base camp and talked about their experience with the media. “I felt proud when I reached the summit. It's an unforgettable feeling, full of memories of the challenges and obstacles we faced on the way up" Amina, a student climber said upon the team's return. “At the school, we saw how people in some countries need a lot of help. We are talking here about simple basics that they lack. We hope that what we can give will contribute even something simple which would improve life in the school. "We thank God that we live in a blessed country which has shown an example of good works and charity," Alia, one of the student climbers, told reporters about the cause in which they took their journey for. BN
