Kilimanjaro: The New Angel of the South?

Posted by Andrea Shared Interest Foundation

December 15, 2008

Well after the hell that was circuit training I very much enjoyed the variation on my training regime last night, which involved a 10 mile walk to the Angel of the North and back.

So today I am feeling refreshed rather than achy and ready for a productive day at work followed by a session at the gym tonight.

At the moment, anything about Kilimanjaro immediately catches my attention, so I was intrigued by an article in Fairtrade Foundation’s Fair Comment e-zine today. It made me think about all the huge personal achievements that have been realised on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and how some stories are not even connected to climbing.

This particular piece was a truly moving story about a week-long celebration of the oldest Cooperative in all of Africa. KNCU (Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union) was officially incorporated in 1933, and to celebrate 75 years of empowerment, a host of organisations and individuals held a series of events to mark the occasion.

As I read further I discovered that members of KNCU voluntarily contribute to an education fund that is used to build and operate schools for farmers’ children for whom they also provide scholarships.

Mathew Matoli, Member, KNCU Member is quoted as saying on the Coffee Club Network: “Without our cooperative and selling to the fair trade market, our lives would have been very terrible. Our cooperative and the fair trade buyers give us hope and courage, for we are able to earn a higher wage and better provide for our families.”

In climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Neil and I will be raising thousands of pounds to help fair trade producers in Swaziland benefit in the same way: to work their way out of poverty. It seems that the mountain has become a keystone in the fair trade movement, overlooking the farmers and craft makers clustered amongst the foothills and helping to promote and raise money for their cause.

Could this be the new Angel of the South?