In a few hours, Peak 29, the initiative that encourages acts of inspiration will start with me flying out to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I am as excited about this as I am nervous, which makes this a journey worth taking.

I am honestly grateful to all who have supported me morally, physically and financially through the last 4 months of my preparation for the climb. Before you start to think that this is a ‘vote of thanks’ post, it’s NOT! The mission begins tonight as I fly out of Dubai with the group from Gulf for Good. The mission is to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in the hope that I can start to inspire people to perform acts. Acts that make a difference in society.

On another note, I can’t wait to see the excited faces of my climbing mates. They are such a jolly and cheerful bunch of people and if you followed me on Twitter I’m sure you wouldn’t miss out on any of the fun and action packed adventure. You can also listen in on conversations with my hiking guide. You may think Animal Planet and NatGeo Wild gives you a lot of information on nature and wildlife. During my last trip to Africa, I learned things from my safari guide that would often be omitted in popular media due to time constraints or the lack of a dramatic sensation. On this trip, I’ll try to give you bits and bobs of interestingness along the way to the summit. Though I take a keen interest in wildlife, I’m not an expert. So, if you want to ask my guide (THE Expert) something that puzzles you, drop me a line and I’ll pose your question to him.

Now, I’m nearly packed and rearing to start my final exercise routine before I get ready to leave. I’m as excited as the tallest free standing mountain in the world, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

May the force be with me!

To be is to exist, to exist is to matter.

- Floatr.

I found the peace train, a term coined by Christine, my yoga instructor for the Vinyasa flow class, quite amusing. After a quick demonstration by Christine, the four of us attending the class quickly followed with the “Peace Train” track playing in the background.

Its me in green, if you are wondering :)

Thanks Christine for making my Zen Yoga classes fun and inspiring.

With the Euro 2008 fever catching on, I thought we could all enjoy the action and help kids in Nairobi, Kenya to have a healthier future.

I have created the Peak 29 league under Euro 2008’s JVC Predictor contest. The code to join the Peak 29 League is 53816-3591. 

The rules for the group are simple:

Winner receives 5 fils (0.05 AED) for every point he/ she scores.
Loser pays 10 fils (0.10 AED) for every point he/ she scores.

E.g.
Final standings:
Floatr – 550 points
Max – 475 points
Sam – 250 points

Floatr wins 27.5 Dirhams
Max pays 47.50 Dirhams
Sam pays 25 Dirhams

The difference between the collection from losers and pay out to the winner will go towards charity.
So, the children in Kenya win 45 Dirhams.
Your participation could enable over 100 children per day in Nairobi to benefit from much improved medical care.
The later you join the league, the more likely you are to lose. So hurry up and join the action quickly.

If you are a football fan or a friend, please join the Peak 29 league by signing up at http://en.predictor.euro2008.uefa.com/ and entering the code 53816-3591 into the private league box at the bottom of the page.

Over the last few weeks, I approached Nakheel, TBWA RAAD, Adidas and Thuraya for corporate sponsorship towards the cause I am supporting by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. None of them showed any interest in my initiative, which naturally brings me to wonder if they understand CSR and if they know their role as businesses in society.

Nakheel is a large UAE real estate developer well known for developing The Palm and The World. As a corporation the does not have a good reputation among the public for a variety of reasons including labor and human rights, safety of laborers, destruction of natural resources, poor quality of construction and poor consumer rights, they seem quite happy to carry on with their daily business of damaging corals in the Gulf. 
Ironically, their tag line reads – “Where vision inspires humanity”

Adidas is very well known and I am not going to tell you much about who say they are, coz’ they haven’t shown it to me yet. Do they not owe anything to the residents of Dubai, their consumers? Like many other brands in the country, I suspect Adidas too has chosen to ignore the expats as they are a transient population. Do they believe that initiatives in other markets will be noticed and acknowledged by residents of UAE? So Adidas, nothing is impossible except reaching into your deep pockets for some change, eh?

Do lofty tag lines really mean anything if we can’t experience their true meaning in the real world?

Let me put things in context if some of you think I have been very harsh to Nakheel and Adidas above. I have received contributions from individuals totalling approx. $3000. Thank you all for your support.
I now need atleast another $1,700 (approx.) to reach the minimum amount needed to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and  above all to help build a health ward for children in Nairobi, Kenya.

The health situation of children in Nairobi is characterized by high acute respiratory and cardiovascular diseases such as tuberculosis, bronchitis; high cases of diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, HIV related illnesses and malnutrition. This has put a strain on the existing medical facilities as the number of children visiting the health facilities continues to increase.
The project that I am supporting, will build child friendly consultation rooms and a waiting bay. This will help lessen overcrowding and enhance the response of medical personnel to children with emergencies. The new facilities will also streamline patient intake which will allow the children to see a doctor quickly.This project is built on a long term approach to help the community develop independently when it is complete and be handed over to the local authorities, ensuring that all parties are consulted and have an active part to play in managing such development programs.

Your support could enable over 100 children per day in Nairobi to benefit from much improved medical care.
If you wish to support me please find the details here. Every little helps.

 I will continue Part 2 of this post with a point of view on the other firms that I approached and was ignored.

If you are still wondering, I am holding a charity auction to raise money for my climb on 30th May 2008. The men attending the fundraiser will be auctioned to the highest bidding woman.

The focus of the party will be WOMEN. 

They will be in power; they will make the important decisions; they will decide who wins and who loses and they will sign the fat checks.

Ofcourse, the MEN need to do their bit in convincing the women of their worth and what they can do for them.

The men could either be butlers for the evening or give the girls lap dances or do just about anything the girls want. No pun intended!

Butler

 

Lap dance

 

Dirty Dancer

 

Charity Auction

If you girls have any more ideas of things you would like to make the guys do , please do let me know so that I can arrange the necessary props for the acts.

I had my first meeting on Sunday at the Gulf4Good office with fellow climbers to get briefed on the essentials for the Mt. Kilimanjaro challenge. Most of the stuff seemed new to me, however, there were other climbers who shared their experiences with us, the first-timers. Ravi, the G4G volunteer, who has climbed Kilimanjaro before took us through the motions of the 7 day journey to the top and back down. His narration was extremely detailed and explicit which also included the number of times we would be answering nature’s call.

Bless him; without his advice on the bare essentials for the climb, I would’ve packed the most useless things on this trip. (PS: I always over estimate the stuff I need on any travel trip and end up returning from the trip with unused clothes and other items. Don’t ask me why I take them along in the first place!)

These are the items that are needed for my climb to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Spot anything familiar?

If you could eat inspiration, Peak 29 would resolve world hunger.

- Kedar Floatr.

I met Claire, who is the organiser of Marathon des Sables, for a drink last evening. Claire has been involved in the organisation of this extreme running race through the deserts of Morocco for the last 7 years. She began by narrating her first hand account of the experiences of runners over of the course of the 11 day adventure through the harshest conditions on the planet. Runners’ fitness levels and mental strength are rigorously tested throughout the desert race. Some survived, some withdrew and some succumbed.

In comparison, my challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was dwarfed by the extreme nature of this non-stop race only on foot. I went quad-biking in the desert and couldn’t stand the sand all over my body, inside my ears and eyes for very long; 3 hours. You can imagine the discomfort and rigor the runners would have to face on their day and night crawl/walk/run through the desert. I think I felt more confident about achieving my mission, but also felt it was not an impossible one. If the participants of Marathon des Sables could do that, then surely I could atleast climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In addition to simply running to the finish line on time, the participants are required to carry daily supplies (including food and bedding), navigation tools and sleeping gear. As for my climb, I will be supported by a team of porters who will carry all supplies and personal goods for us. That’s a good load off my shoulder.

Claire, as surprised as she was to hear about my expedition, was motivating me through examples of other endurance tests. She never made me feel like the climb would be easy, but she did reassure me that my drive and determination was right to reach the peak. Thanks, Claire!

Do you also have words of wisdom for me?

As I work on the details of fundraising ideas, I have started to think about a campaign concept to invite individuals and corporates to be part of this adventure and support the charitable causes. A campaign idea that would lend itself towards promoting my climb and recognizing the effort by committing generously towards assisting disadvantaged kids and AIDS rehab patients in Africa.

 As you already know, I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to etch an achievement milestone on my 29th birthday; achievement of climbing the world’s second highest peak for a charitable cause. How do you think I should pitch this to potential donors and sponsors? I am willing to entertain audiences and make honest endorsements of brands’ involvement with social responsibility initiatives too. So, in any which way you think I could communicate to audiences to raise money, your suggestions are welcome.