African Ascents Crew COVID-19

Mt Kenya Relief Fund

2020 has certainly fulfilled the often quoted expression “May you live in interesting times”.

Dear Friends,

In this time of COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing we have found ourselves reflecting often on our adventures in the mountains and looking forward to new ones in the future. I hope this letter might find you remembering a favourite view or moment from a trip you’ve taken with African Ascents - maybe a sunrise looking up at Mt Kenya’s icy summits, a well-earned meal with friends while trekking towards Everest Base Camp, or a quiet evening fly fishing in the Aberdares.

As Coronavirus caused borders to close and airlines to cancel flights, we scrambled to help clients postpone or cancel mountain trips. We quickly made contingency plans for the business including discussions with permanent staff about salary cuts to try and ensure the survival of the business during these uncertain times.

Now, as things slow down during the lockdown period, our attention has turned towards the rest of the people who earn their living and support their families from their work on Mt Kenya. Many of the guides, cooks, camp managers and porters work solely on a freelance contract basis. For most of them this mountain work is their only source of income and now that work is gone. In a country like Kenya there is no access to unemployment insurance or welfare payouts for those who have lost their livelihood due to COVID-19.

We have tried to support our mountain teams as much as possible and will continue to do so. Over the next few months you will see some of them contributing to blog posts on the new African Ascents website as a way for them to continue to work for the company while tourism is on hold. However, our resources are very limited while the world is in lockdown.

We are reaching out to friends and contacts around the world to ask for support for the men and women who make their living on Mt Kenya. For the price of 2 Starbucks coffees you can provide maize meal (cornmeal) or rice to a family of 4 for an entire week. In other words, $8-10 can help feed a family for a week. If, during this lockdown period, you’ve had to give up your morning takeaway coffee perhaps you could consider donating the cost of a coffee to our Mt Kenya Relief Fund (MRF). You can find our GoFundMe page here or by clicking the donate button below.

We understand that the current coronavirus pandemic has caused economic hardship for many people around the world. If you’re not in a position to help personally we understand and hope you might share this with others who can.

If you would like to know more about how your donation will be used to support the mountain crew please click on the button below. Keep an eye out for regular updates on our blog throughout this time. As well as updates on the MRF we will be posting some Adventure Stories that we hope will provide some light relief from all of the coronavirus news. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration for a future trip!

We at African Ascents wish you and your families all the best for this year and we hope this finds you in good health.

Sincerely,

The African Ascents Team