Moving Mountains

Genuinely the most worthy cause we’ve heard for a long time… raising money for the Amani Children’s Home, Nick Hall begins his climb of Kilimanjaro in 12 days.

I first met Nick ‘Hippo’ Hall somewhere between Christchurch and Wellington in 2005. The British and Irish Lions supporters party had taken in an ill-advised wine tasting afternoon in the New Zealand countryside, and in amongst slurred post mortems of the First Test, an Old Etonian and an Old Harrovian got terrifically drunk. In amongst three heavy drubbings by the All-Blacks, I got to know Nick, and got to see first hand his infectious enthusiasm for life and his terrific sense of adventure. In the years since returning from the ‘land of the long white cloud’, or the land where the bars stay open until 5am, I speak to Hippo occasionally and I always envy his globetrotting life – his novelty Santa Claus costume has frequented many a foreign sports ground in support of touring British teams. This morning however, when I spoke to him, he told me he had been in the heart of Africa for the past 7 months volunteering.

It is of no surprise to me that on the 22nd February Nick will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – the world’s largest free-standing mountain, and it’s even less of a surprise that he’ll be doing it to raise money for the organisation he has been working for; the Amani Children’s Home in Tanzania.

Now in its ninth year, the organisation is dedicated to protecting as many of Tanzania’s orphaned population as possible. There can be fewer realities more harsh than being homeless and parentless in a third world country, and the Amani Children’s Home creates a much needed shield between the children and the synonyms of third world poverty – disease, crime, malnutrition and fear. The Home’s work does not end with the provision of sanctuary, it allows the children access to education, healthcare, and counselling. Cliched as it may be, the Amani Children’s Home’s primary function is to give these children an opportunity to live. The most effective testimony of the organisation’s success, comes from the many photographs of the children themselves – smiley, joyous faces beam out at you where once there would have only been fear. Given that over 2.5million children in Tanzania still face the horrendous reality of life alone on the street, the size of the task facing institutions like Amani is enormous – but one that still needs to be tackled.

The Amani Children’s Home relies on generosity to survive, that, and the fund raising of people like Nick Hall. Please visit the donations page and help him raise the money he needs to make a difference to these children’s lives, there really is no such thing as an insignificant donation.

Please also see Nick Hall’s article on the Amani Children’s Home, and see for yourself how urgently help is needed to defend the most vulnerable members of Tanzanian society.

Be a friend of the Amani.

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