Charity on the mind in quest for Kilimanjaro

Climbing up 5,895 metres is no easy mission but for Hike of Hope, it had to be done. The team of five young men from Lebanon decided to hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in the hopes of raising money for the Children's Cancer Centre of Lebanon (CCCL). It was Bassam Lteif's idea — inspired by his all-time favourite 1980s hit song Africa by Toto — to go on an adventure and hike all the way up to the top of this mountain in Tanzania.

That is when Lteif decided to dedicate the journey to a good cause, helping children with cancer back home. "If I plan to go all the way to the top of Kilimanjaro, why not do it for charity?" he told Weekend Review, when asked how he decided to make the trip. He was joined by four other enthusiasts and Hike of Hope was created. Their mission was to raise $100,000 and make it all the way up to a mountain 5,895 metres high.

Jean Ajaltouni, one of the team members, was planning a trip to New York at the time he heard about Hike of Hope.

"When I heard they were doing it for raising funds for the Children's Cancer Centre of Lebanon, I said ‘it can't get any better than that' and knew right away I wanted to be involved," Ajaltouni said. Soon he was bound for Tanzania on a journey he said has changed his life.

The six-day trip in the African continent was, however, met with challenges such as acute mountain sickness, lack of oxygen, extreme temperatures and long distances to walk.

On average, the team walked for six to eight hours every day. At times, temperatures would dip as low as 15 degrees below zero.

Lteif, who suffers from asthma, had a difficult time, as the lack of oxygen almost forced him to turn back.

But despite these challenges, the team made it to the top, reaching the summit on September 1.

"Once you reach the summit, you understand why people do it," Ajaltouni said.

Jean Diab, one of the hikers who set off on the trip from Dubai, described reaching the top as one of the most painful yet beautiful and rewarding experiences of his life. He said it is a journey he would definitely go on again.

Getting to know the people of Tanzania was a learning experience, Lteif said. "The people were amazing. They're self-aware and appreciate the environment around them," he said. "It's awe-inspiring."

Though the trip was a success, raising the money was the bigger challenge for the team.

The members said it was difficult to get people into the spirit of giving. Not very many people gave them $5, $10 and $20, said Khalid Dannoui, one of the hikers. "In Lebanon, convincing people was a battle," he said.

Hike of Hope has raised $66,466 for the centre, according to Karen Khoury, fundraising executive at CCCL. A big part of this money ($40,000) came from Banque Audi. Most of the remainder was donations by individuals.

"I was very optimistic about the project," Khoury said. "Given their enthusiasm, I could see it would be a success."

"It was an experience to see how difficult it is in the Middle East to raise funds for going on adventures such as this," Dannoui said.

"People couldn't comprehend why we were doing this. They thought we were sponsored when we were the ones who were paying. One hundred per cent of the donations went to the centre."

Fundraising is not an easy task, Khoury said. "A lot of people will like the idea and promise to donate but it's when they actually go out of their way to pay that makes the real difference," she said.

The Hike of Hope team created a lot of awareness about their initiative, which helped with the donations, she explained. "It has a lot to do with the presentation and how you portray the donation."

CCCL is a medical centre that offers free treatment to children with cancer and relies solely on donations. The centre needs an average of $12 million every year to carry out treatments, Khoury said. Since its establishment in 2002, the centre has treated about 680 children.

While the average cost of treatment for a child is $40,000 per year, Khoury said that with the amount raised, the centre will be able to help treat two children. "And the Hike of Hope team just raised that in two months," she said.

Khoury said the centre would definitely want to team up with Hike of Hope again. "They were a great team and the best part about them was their enthusiasm," she said. "They're professional, very well connected and, most importantly, credible and transparent."

What is next for Hike of Hope?

The team has not yet made any decision about where to go next and which organisation to raise money for. Lteif is thinking about getting Hike of Hope registered as a non-profit organisation in Lebanon.

The team is also looking at a more challenging mountain as a way to get people to donate more this time.

"Everyone's excited about going to new places and I have my mind set on something," Lteif said.

Diab said he definitely wanted to stay on board.

"Nothing compares to raising funds yourself and later seeing the results," Ajaltouni said. "The power of giving is so much more rewarding than anything else." Which is why he said he planned to stay with the team.

"Whatever charity we choose for our next mission, it has to be practical in its donation process," Lteif said. "They can collect funds on their own while we generate traffic for their website."

To help Hike of Hope reach their target, you can make donations directly to CCCL by visiting www.hikeofhope.com or www.cccl.org.lb