Porters' Scholarship Program Launched Today!

23/3/2015

It is very important that we work to improve conditions in local communities within Tanzania. So this year as well as our continued support of the Paradiso Orphanage, we created the Majestic Kilimanjaro Scholarship Program, Yeah!

This program enables selected porters to attend three (3) month English language courses, driving school, wilderness first aid training, nine (9) month guiding school, hospitality school or mechanics training. We also provide a monthly stipend/allowance so these men can continue to look after their families during the training.

Further education of this nature is well out of the reach of most porters. A nine month guide or hospitality course costs between 500,000 to 800,000 Tanzania Schillings (TSch) a day, and yet porters earn from 11,000 to 15,000 TSch a day. Apart from the cost of the courses, there is also the challenge of continuing to support their families while studying instead of working. Our scholarship fund, which has been formed from profits from the climbs and safaris we conduct through Majestic Kilimanjaro, looks after all that so that the recipients can just focus on their studies.

Scholarship Program Launch
Today we were very excited to launch the program with Porters - James Kahumba, Christian Lomnyaki, Amani Ernest and Silvano Clemence (who has been working with us as a cook for the last two years), starting their three months English course at the YMCA Vocational Training Centre. This will be followed by a one month driving course.
These 4 men will attend class every day for 45mins and then be expected to complete homework. English language skills and a drivers license will allow these men to take up opportunities that weren't open to them before. On their successful completion they will be able to choose whether to attend either a nine months guide, hospitality or mechanics training.

Here they are on their first day - class started at 7.30am so it was bright and early!