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Chemmy Alcott and Julia Mancuso Top Kilimanjaro!!

Last week two of Right To Play’s Athlete Ambassadors Chemmy Alcott and Julia Mancuso, along with fellow American Skier – Lauren Ross and Chemmy’s partner Mark Weaver, headed for Africa to take on Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Right To Play’s global work. 

Not only did Chemmy, Julia and the team reach the summit of the World’s largest free standing mountain, they also spent two days visiting a number of Right To Play’s projects in some of Dar es Salaam’s most under privileged schools and orphanages.

This is the first time that a Right To Play Athlete Ambassador has combined a challenge with visiting one of the Right To Play projects and it has proved to be a great success. Emmanuel Kihaule, Country Communications Coordinator for Right To Play Tanzania, commented on the Athlete's visit to the projects:

"It has been such a wonderful moment taking the Athlete Ambassadors through our Dar es Salaam Project program activities which are only possible through their support. Seeing them freely and joyously playing with kids in all the places we took them to is something that we'll never forget. It was such an inspiration to the young ones as they also realized that there are people out there who care for them."

On her return, Chemmy commented on her experience:

'Our trip to Africa for Right to Play was both the toughest and most rewarding experience of our lives. Climbing the world's largest free standing mountain was insanely difficult. It was only the fact that this was not merely a personal challenge but a fundraiser for an amazing cause that kept me going. We hiked through the pain and eventually reached the summit! Visiting the Right to Play projects in Tanzania, in particular one of the orphanages, was a massive eye opener. Everybody says the most infectious thing about Africa is the malaria from the mosquitos, I beg to differ. It is the children's bright smiles! The world seems so much simpler in their presence. You can't help but be absorbed into their world - happy, caring and somehow full of hope.Their levels of happiness are so much more realistic than those of kids in the western world. Just catching a ball or helping a friend makes them happy. Through this amazing experience i realised how much we could actually learn from THEM! Thank you to Right To Play for all the amazing work that they are doing around the world and in Tanzania in particular where the volunteer teachers and Right To Play staff are truely an inspiration!.'

We would like to thank Chemmy, Julia, Lauren and Mark for their remarkable gesture and commitment to raising awareness and funds for Right To Play – we are greatly indebted to them.

If you would like to support Chemmy, it is not too late to do so – please go to her Just Giving page;

Also you can follow their story and read Chemmy’s blog in the Telegraph.

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