African Ascents Crew – COVID-19 Mountain Relief Fund

How will my donation be used?

Funds raised will be used to buy basic food supplies for Mt Kenya crew members who have lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our office manager, Charlotte, will be purchasing these supplies in bulk and our driver, Kamlesh, will be distributing them to those who need them on a monthly basis.

We will of course be very careful to reduce any risk of transmitting infection while doing this with careful hand washing, face mask precautions and the use of alcohol hand gel by both Kamlesh and Charlotte.

What supplies will be included?

Rice, maize flour, cooking fat, milk, sugar, tea and a small allocation of airtime (approx. $1) to allow for communication.

Who will my donation be supporting?

African Ascents mountain staff who work on a freelance basis and have lost their livelihood because of coronavirus. This will include guides, cooks, camp managers and porters. Initially we plan to start supporting about 20 crew members. Should the fund allow for it, we would love to expand this to include more crew members over the coming weeks.

How often will this support be going out?

Support packages will go out on a monthly basis to reduce transport costs and risk of infection.

How long will we be continuing this support for?

At the moment it seems that Kenya’s restrictions on travel will remain in place for at least the rest of April. With many countries now right in the midst of this pandemic it is likely that it will be at least a few months before tourism returns to Mt Kenya. We would like to be able to continue this support for the next 2-3 months at least although we will reassess this as events unfold.

Are there any other ways I can help?

Absolutely! We would really appreciate it if you could spread the word and share our blog post with friends and family.

Please like and follow African Ascents on social media. Also please consider following our blog on our new website.

If you or someone you know has been considering a trip to Mt Kenya, Kilimanjaro, the Rwenzoris or a mountain biking adventure, consider booking it with us now for late 2020 or into 2021. We will be offering a booking policy of 100% deposit return or free date change on any bookings made during COVID-19 for future trips.

If you have a trip booked with us for 2020 please consider postponing rather than cancelling this trip.

Thank you from the African Ascents Team for your ongoing support.