Since 1999, Accenture volunteers have been literally conquering mountains for charity, to support the work of Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO), the world’s leading independent development charity that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO also enables Accenture employees with range of business and management skills to volunteer in those countries.

The Accenture Global Kilimanjaro raised a phenomenal $250,000-plus for VSO in 2008. Monica Browning was one of the eight Australian trekkers who successfully climbed Mount
Kilimanjaro to reach Gilman’s Point at 5,685m in 2008. She
reflects on her journey with us.

Our adventure began in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on the 14 June 2008 where we met with local community workers, our guides and thirty-three other Accenture employees from offices worldwide

Before climbing the mountain, we visited the VSO office and some community projects to see the inspiring work being undertaken by VSO and local partner organisations such as the Human Development Trust (HDT).

The local volunteer who kindly took the time to show us around various VSO projects in Dar es Saleem has been working in Tanzania for the last 12 months, and is actually an Accenture employee on a career break from the Amsterdam office.

She took us first to visit a community project for AIDS orphans and foster children, adopted or fostered by local “mamas”. VSO and HDT are working with the mamas to teach them basic small business skills, such book keeping, basic education and health, so that they can successfully run small enterprises such as preparation and sale of chips to the local communities, sale of vegetables, and production and sale of soaps. The result is that these enterprising women can also afford to look after many children. We had the chance to talk to some of these women, through a translator, who were very grateful for the help and support of VSO and HDT.

We also visited was the Association of Aids Widows in Tanzania. This small committee of inspirational women are all living with AIDS or HIV and have organized themselves, with the help of VSO and HDT, to manufacture and sell soap in order to support themselves and their children, some also living with HIV.

I was really moved and encouraged by what I saw and wanted to let you know that I really believe Accenture employee contributions and donations are going to a great cause.

Then up the mountain! It was one of the most wonderful and beautiful experiences of my life. The mountain was hugely daunting and the reality of what we were embarking on only really hit me on day two of the walk once we were above the clouds.

We lived for six days above the clouds: an amazing experience. The group was shown tremendous support by some expert local guides, a doctor and a huge number of porters who both carried our big back packs as well as water, food, tents etc. With all the support
crew our group was approx 120 people! Can you
imagine the sight?

Typically we would walk 5 to 8 hours a day—but at a very slow pace to allow us to acclimatize—very necessary as we found out. I was fortunate not to be too badly impacted by the altitude or anything else: stomach bugs, colds, nausea… Some others were not so lucky and were unable to continue. I got away with a minor headaches and slight queasiness on the summit night.

While camping was fun, temperatures were below zero every night. We very quickly found out about each others digestive speeds and got used to the fact that we would not be near a shower for seven days. We were still brought a bowl of hot water every morning and night to be able to clean—a real luxury! And we ate like kings and queens thanks to the wonderful cooks walking with us!

Summit night was tough. Already at 4,700m, we were woken at 11pm to start climbing at 12am. We started our last ascent by moonlight on a frozen scree, and took our first break at 3am when we reached a cave and hot soup! 3am to 5.30am was pretty horrid. Steep steep slopes, fatigue, nausea and low energy—I think that’s why we climbed at night: so we couldn’t see the hell that was before us!

I made it to Gilman’s point—5,685m—the official crater summit, with approximately half the group. Despite having another 200m to go I felt totally satisfied with where I’d got to and felt that mission was accomplished!

We saw the sunrise, and with my emotional side getting the better of me, I shed a tear or two and hugged all my colleagues and friends who had also made it! I felt elated, exhausted, emotional, inspired—so many different emotions at once.

It was an incredible and wonderful experience and for those even slightly tempted I would say, ‘What are you waiting for?’

The trek down was a comparative walk in the park, ending two days later over a celebration dinner at our hotel in the small town of Marangu.

I’m very grateful to everyone who has shown tremendous support to this great cause: all money raised from the trip will go to supporting volunteer employees in remote parts of East Africa who are helping villages battling HIV and AIDS.