KILIMANJARO – Collecting donations at the highest of heights

The sensational sum of €7,000 came together thanks to the four-person team of Karlsruhe mountain climbers who made it to the top of Kilimanjaro. This was a remarkable project with an incredible outcome! 

Not only were the climbers – Bernd Nees, Beate Sieben, Lothar Kümmerlin und René Behrendt – proud of their experience and their athletic achievement: their good work delighted the children and teachers at the St. Francis Preschool in Lusaka, Zambia, who were the beneficiaries of their (German-language) fundraising campaign! Now new equipment and toys can be arranged for the newly-constructed preschool.

Since it first opened its doors in January 2024, the preschool has enrolled around 100 children in four groups. Here they are well prepared for beginning primary school, and they also learn to concentrate and listen. The school offers a combination of playful teaching and suitable preschool curriculum. 

With the St. Francis Preschool, an important cornerstone is being laid for a proper education. The preschool and the St. Francis and Clare Secondary School together mean that the Franciscans working with Sister Loice Kashangura have created a program to offer a high-quality education to the children who live in the very poor Chipata Compound on the outskirts of the city of Lusaka. Thanks to Sister Loice and her companions, these children have an opportunity to escape poverty and develop perspectives for a bright independent future.

One member of the mountain-climbing team, Lothar Kümmerlin, was in Lusaka with his wife Susanne (volunteering) several years ago and got to know the Franciscans and their work there. By climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, he and his teammates were able to combine their athletic ambition with their sense of social commitment. And we thank them for it!

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