Blind Nigerian kids to scale Kilimanjaro

NAIROBI: Peter Nyombi will never see Mount Kilimanjaro, but along with 10 other British and African blind or partially sighted young peop...

NAIROBI: Peter Nyombi will never see Mount Kilimanjaro, but along with 10 other British and African blind or partially sighted young people, he sets out this weekend to climb its snow-covered peaks.

The 11 plan to scale Kilimanjaro, Africa8217;s highest mountain at 5,895 metres, in a six-day expedition aimed at raising money to restore sight to thousands of blind people in Africa and Asia.

Nyombi, a 17-year-old from Uganda who lost his sight after contracting malaria four years ago, says he is determined to make it to the summit to prove a point to himself and the world.

8220;I am ready to challenge all sighted people too because I have heard people say it is very difficult to climb a mountain,8221; he said yesterday as the team made final preparations for the gruelling ascent.

8220;Many people fear climbing a mountain. They think it is very hard or that people may die. But for me, I want to show them that when you are blind, it doesn8217;t mean that you can8217;t do anything,8221; he said.

Deborah Langan, a 14-year-oldfrom Glasgow, is one of five British teenagers on the expedition and her only concern is beating altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro8217;s upper slopes.8220;It8217;s going to be really exciting but nervous too because of the altitude and things like that,8221; she said, adding that she applied to join the expedition after her mother read about it in a magazine for parents of visually impaired children.

The 11, including four from Kenya and one each from Tanzania and Uganda, are aged between 14 and 24 and have gone through a rigorous nine-month selection and training programme ahead of the climb, which begins tomorrow. Helped by 11 sighted guides and a support team that includes a doctor, they hope to reach Kilimanjaro8217;s peak on September 2.

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8220;I would say the teamwork element of this is the most important thing because they are going to need to help each other a lot,8221; said Paula Seager, spokeswoman for the Sight Savers International charity that is organising the climb.

The 11 gathered here yesterday before heading downto cross the border into Tanzania and set up their base camp. As well as the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro, they hope to raise about 70,000 pounds 110,000 and use the money to restore sight to 5,000 people with cataracts in Africa and Asia.

8220;I8217;ll have helped others. I8217;ll have reached the whole of Africa by doing this,8221; said Ann Wanjiru Kamau, 24, who has had only partial sight since the age of three. 8220;All I can see are colours and shapes. I hope to be able to see some of the mountain.8221; Their progress up Kilimanjaro can be followed on the internet at Kilimanjaro.Org.Uk.