There are a lot of good reasons to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. For me it was the beginning of a quest to be the first chinese woman to climb the seven highest peaks and ski to the poles. I’m using my experience to help people around the world conquer their own mountains in life. However, there are many people who climb mountains like Kilimanjaro to contribute to society in other ways. Here are two recent groups who set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Read on and, if you feel moved by their stories, consider making a donation to their cause.

Over a billion people in this world are without clean drinking water. Every 15 seconds a child dies of a preventable water-related disease. 

So, actress Jessica Biel joined Emile Hirsch, United Nations Foundation executive Elizabeth Gore and a group of other climbers in a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The group posted pictures, clips, and tweets during the entire climb. You can view and read those at www.summitonthesummit.com . Let the website run for a bit and it will automatically take you to basecamp. Click “The Cause” to make a donation and help kids have clean water.

This is a story that hits pretty close to my heart. After all, I was still a student myself when climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro .. So, the story of these Cornell students and their climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro caught my attention. 

The students dubbed the climb “Fistula Free Climb.” It’s named after Obstetric Fistula, a condition that causes considerable problems for a young mother both during and after childbirth and generally leads to the mother being ostracized and cast out into the African wasteland. A simple $250 surgical procedure will repair the problem, but most women simply don’t have the money.

The leader of the climb, Ilya Brotzky, explained the problem in very simple terms.

“This affliction affects women in rural areas because they don’t have the education to know not to get pregnant when they’re 13 years old.”

Go to the Fistula Free Climb website to make a donation and change a young woman’s life. 

Helping people make a better life for themselves is such a drive of mine that stories like these are really meaningful. I enjoy helping people achieve their potential with the hope that they, in turn, will help others reach their potential. While we’re making a better life for ourselves, let’s make a better life for others in our world who maybe don’t have the same advantages we have.