One of the older students at the Rainbow Centre is Gervacio, who was born with Down ’s syndrome and therefore has a moderate learning disability.

Gervacio was born in Urubamba, the oldest of three children. Although initially a stable family, his parents separated after his father had an affair and since then his mother has struggled to cope both financially and emotionally. At home, Gervacio has no structure or supervision – his family did believe he would be capable of finding employment and he could be found wandering the streets of Urubamba with no purpose. Due to his disability, without support Gervacio would be unlikely to have a future where he is able to contribute towards supporting himself and his family.

Gervacio has been attending the Rainbow Centre for several years now and is very sociable. He likes to spend time with others his age and be helpful, he has a hearty appetite. He loves to do “manly” jobs and is very proud of his achievements and collaboration. Gervacio is an athletic young man, and in 2006 he made it through to the Special Olympics in Lima which is certainly an achievement to be very proud of!

At the Rainbow Centre they understand that Gervacio should be treated as an adult and with respect. His learning difficulties mean that he struggles with academic concepts such as numbers and takes time to learn new skills. However, through the Life Skills programme he has learnt basic self care skills such as personal hygiene and housekeeping, contributes towards the up keep of the garden and the school farm and participates in weekly cooking lessons. He shows great interest in the cooking classes although he still struggles to remember the amounts of ingredients for specific recipes.

Over the years that Gervacio has attended the Rainbow Centre he has achieved a great deal and is increasingly self-sufficient in carrying out the tasks assigned to him.  He is now being taught the basic skills needed for employment, such as timekeeping, social interaction, and money handling and the Centre is hoping to place Gervacio in supported employment in the coming year.

Sele’s father became very sick and without any means of support, he would eat sawdust when he didn’t have food and he slept on a concrete floor. Sele, who was very devoted to his dad, hired himself out pushing wheelbarrows to earn enough coins to buy a bed sheet for his father.  One day at Amani, Sele asked how he could get a mattress, essentially for his father to lie on as he died.  Amani had an extra one and when Sele was told that he could take it to his father, he clapped and smiled and expressed his gratitude for the rest of the day.

In his apprenticeship, Selemani learned fast and enjoyed the work so, after just three months, Amani enrolled Sele in a one-year program at Mawela Vocational Training Center. When he finished school in 2005, Amani purchased a set of tools for Sele and paid rent on a room for him to live in. Within a year, Sele was successful in his work and became self-supporting.

In 2006 he informed his social worker at Amani that he wanted to get married, and Amani assisted with the planning and costs of his wedding. Selemani’s father had passed away by that time so Sele asked Japhary, his Amani social worker, to stand in for his dad at the ceremony. It was a very happy occasion for this young man who, in four short years had completely transformed his life. Selemani and his wife now have a daughter. Sele supports and cares for his family without assistance from Amani.

Selemani has a younger brother, Omary, who Amani is still helping. Omary also entered the Vocational Training Program and learned auto mechanics, passing his National Practical Exam in June 2009. Omary has since completed his internship and Amani helped him secure a job at a local garage. Because he is still new to the profession, Omary is making very little money so Amani is helping him with rent and other living expenses while also working with Omary to increase his self-reliance.

Nuru befriended a woman who had a market stall selling second-hand clothes. This seemingly kind woman suggested that she could take the three girls under her wing and arrange for their schooling; they would return home for the school holidays. The matter was discussed by the family and agreed upon. The two older girls were sent to Dar-es-Salaam where, almost certainly, they were set to work in a house as unpaid servants. They have not been heard of since that day in 2003.Monika was sent to a wealthy man’s house near Moshi where she was obliged to work as a housemaid, and was not enrolled at a school. The man’s two sons also lived in the house. Before long, both of them had sexually assaulted Monika. After the second attack, Monika went to her mistress and reported what had happened. Her story was not believed and was instead severely beaten for making false accusations.

Covered in bruises, Monika went to the police for protection. They did not—or would not—believe her story and told her to return to her mistress and apologize for her misdemeanours.

Distraught, Monika ran away to the streets of Moshi where, destitute and friendless, she earned money by selling herself for sex. She was picked up one evening by the police, who took her to the Remand Home for Children (a juvenile detention centre). Terrified by the situation she found herself in, her fellow inmates being almost all male teenagers, she begged a kind warder to take her to her own home at night where she would be safe. The warder took pity on her and brought her to Amani Children’s Home, where arrangements were made for the home to pay a surety that she would not run away.

Monika was cared for and counselled before being tested for HIV, which was mercifully negative. One of Amani’s social workers, together with a social worker from the Remand Home, took her back to Songea by bus, where her mother was overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter after six anxious months, and the girl’s story was confirmed. The Remand Home authorities dropped all proceedings and she was allowed to stay in her own home.

The Amani Social Welfare Worker spoke with the village headman to establish Nuru’s need for help and support. Amani is now paying for Monika’s school expenses and a small sum to buy food for the family until conditions improve and they can manage by themselves. Twice a year, a social worker visits Monika and Nuru to ensure that all is well, while mother and daughter still hope and pray that one day Monika’s sisters will return home. Sadly, the “kind” woman from the market stall has never been traced.

While we are very fortunate that such occurrences will not befall the children at our schools, or our own children, what can we do to help the Monikas of the world? On the one hand, it may seem a helpless cause, because this story gets repeated over and over in the developing world every day. So we have two options.

We can philosophize endlessly about development principles, aid issues, etc. and wring our hands at how tough life is. We can teach and talk about social justice in the classroom in abstraction.

Or we can reach out today and help the Monikas of the world, one at a time, and bring hope to an otherwise hopeless situation.

What would the effect on your students be if they could have a meaningful impact in helping the Monikas of the world? Through the Climb for Leaders, you can help students at your school make an impact that is life changing: for themselves and for children like Monika.

We encourage you to view this video below, then please contact us to discuss how your school can get involved.

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Kiva.org is the world’s first personal micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. Founded in 2005, Kiva.org’s mission is to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty. In just over 5 years, over 477,000 people have loaned more than $150 million to 408,000 entrepreneurs in 53 countries.

In September 2010, Kiva announced a pilot of Student Microloans on Kiva.org. Anyone can lend as little as $25 to students in three countries around the world. Founded as a means to combine the impact of microfinance with the utility of technology, Kiva is in a unique position to help lenders make a personal difference — easily, quickly and effectively — first with small business microloans and now with student microloans.The pilot was born as a natural extension of Kiva’s mission to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty. Kiva Student Microloans give recipients the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills through higher education or vocational training. As a result, these individuals will be better positioned to find jobs, support their families and grow their communities — and ultimately make a real difference in the relief of global poverty.

“In developing countries, access to funding for education doesn’t exist like it does in the United States,” said Premal Shah, president of Kiva.org. “Without being given the opportunity, students don’t have the chance to demonstrate fiscal responsibility. We believe the internet community is in a unique position to share the risk of student lending in the developing world and if these students repay their loans — as we believe they will — it could be the very impetus needed to make education accessible for everyone around the world.”

Kiva is working closely with its Field Partners in Bolivia, Lebanon, and Paraguay to create a loan offering tailored for the countries’ students. In some cases, Kiva is providing the additional reach needed to fund its current portfolio of student loans and, in another case, Kiva’s partner is creating their first ever student microloan offering.

As with other Kiva loans, the specific progress of the loan can be tracked from initial funding to repayment. Upon receiving repayment, lenders can withdraw their funds or re-lend to another student or entrepreneur, thereby continuing the lending cycle.

Broadening access to student loan funding is a huge global problem, and Kiva recognizes that its microlending approach is just one piece of the puzzle. As a result, Kiva is currently in discussions with other industry participants about ways to collaborate to address this challenge together.

“Climb for Leaders is proud that through its Ultimate Student Leadership Challenge, students can channel a portion of the funds they raise towards helping alleviate poverty through entrepreneur and student loans,” says Narmin K. Ismail, co-founder. “These funds allow other students at the school who are not participating in the leadership challenge to be involved in the initiative, and to help make a meaningful impact in alleviating poverty in a manner that is dignified and engaging for the beneficiaries,” she adds.

So you should consider carefully the impact of a mishap, especially one that could have been preventable. Schools that have been through major mishaps will identify with:1.       Accident or near-death injury to a student (or staff/faculty member)

2.       Psychological impact on other students

3.       Damage to the school’s reputation, impacting enrolment, renewals, donations, recruitment

4.       Significant litigation costs and stress

5.       Significant damages if the school was found to be negligent

6.       Huge increase in insurance premiums (we could go on, but you get the point).

It’s of course human nature to think that major mishaps could not occur to you/your school. Or to think that your planning is air-tight. But is it really? We all know that an ounce of prevention is much better than a pound of cure!

“From our experience working with schools over the last seven years, numerous tough international expeditions, and the BS 8848 expedition standards, we’ve come up with a 49 step assessment tool that you can use to evaluate every single trip you run,” says Karim. “ It takes 5 minutes or so per trip, and provides an instant report showing where a school can easily improve its practices, standards and planning. Then the school can slowly and methodically work on improving these factors, and in a few months or a year, assess their trips again,” he adds.

There is no fee to use this assessment tool, and as always, Climb for Leaders would welcome your thoughts on steps we may have omitted.

To access the online tool, please go to  www.climbforleaders.com/49stepsassessment.

The Yanapay School started as an alternative school in 2004 where children would receive help with homework, as well as receive education in the arts, cultural expression, and topics relevant to today’s world, free of charge. With more than 160 children attending the school every afternoon, the school moved to a bigger space and started a volunteer programme in 2005. The Yanapay School is now sustained by profit from the Yanapay House, where volunteers pay for their room and board. In 2006, Yuri opened the Yanapay Village Restaurant and Café, which will help to fund the cultural centre he hopes to make a reality in the near future.“We were impressed by Yuri’s vision and achievements so far. The self-sustaining nature of his projects is a breath of fresh air. We hope to be able to make the Aldea Yanapay cultural centre a reality, so that children can have access to the arts, a comprehensive library and the Internet, so they can learn about and maintain their culture, and most importantly, grow up to be caring, tolerant, broadly-educated people who will contribute positively to society,” says Narmin K. Ismail, co-founder of Climb for Leaders.

Yuri said: ”So far, I’ve found success in creating and stabilizing a business venture in one year, and the next year, using the proceeds from the business to fund a social project. We are committed to tackling not just economic problems, but also educational, moral and spiritual issues, in order to provide children with social and life skills and empower them with knowledge. We are delighted to partner with the Climb for Leaders, who we are confident can help us meet some of our key program objectives, including opening the cultural centre and hopefully an orphanage for Peruvian children.”

The Yachana Technical High School is a non-traditional boarding school providing a practical and relevant experiential learning approach. It is forging a new generation of green leaders and entrepreneurs and is sparking students’ interest and desire to continue their education. The program is promoting conservation of the Amazon’s biodiversity through teaching sustainable use of natural resources, providing professional skills to improve employability, and mentoring management of student-run ecological enterprises. Subjects include ecotourism, sustainable agriculture, forest and wildlife management and environmentally sustainable micro-enterprises.“On a recent visit to the school, we were delighted to learn first-hand from the program coordinators of the successes—and challenges—that the program had. In the Amazon region of Ecuador, poverty, environmental degradation and poor quality of public education are all inextricably linked. Thirty percent of elementary school children in the Amazon region do not finish the 6th grade. Only 15% finish secondary schooling. Students drop out because they feel the current public education available in their remote communities is impractical and irrelevant to their everyday lives. Young boys and girls from poverty stricken backgrounds now have a great opportunity to get a good education and learn practical skills , which will make a huge impact to a growing number of families,” says Narmin K. Ismail, co-founder of Climb for Leaders.

Adds Juan Kunchicuy, senior manager of the program:”Meaningful education is the key to reversing generations of poverty, raising environmental awareness and ensuring the sustainable use of the region’s natural resources. With the proper preparation, Amazon youth can become good stewards of their land, leaders within their communities and ambassadors for the Amazon. They can learn how to be successful entrepreneurs, gain the tools to improve their standard of living, and create environmentally sound employment possibilities in the rainforest.

We are delighted to have the support of the Climb for Leaders, who we are confident can help us meet some of our key program objectives. One of the unique features of the Yachana Technical High School is that its operation is designed to be as close to self-sustaining as possible. Initially, large sums of support are needed for salaries, operations and the construction of infrastructure. Our goal is to have the school self-sustaining in a short period of time. The innovative combination of support from Yachana Lodge, Yachana Technology and microenterprises run by the students, plus volunteers and supporters, will we hope ensure this goal within a few years”, he adds.

They sought to give these children the necessary skills, talents, and education so that they could find work away from the streets and hopefully break the cycle of child laborers. Over nineteen years later, CENIT continues to be run by a group of nuns from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. These nuns work in conjunction with about 35 Ecuadorian paid professionals (including teachers, administrators, psychologists and social workers), and around fifty foreign and national volunteers in order to locate the child workers, befriend them and their families, and eventually integrate them into an educational program. CENIT helps working girls (and boys) and their families overcome grinding poverty and improve their quality of lives through education and job training, nutrition programs, health and social services, psychological help, and recreation.On a recent visit to the school, Karim H. Ismail, co-founder of the Climb for Leaders, interviewed Sister Blanca Rosa Chuquimarca. She said, “The majority of the children have suffered from various types of abuse, be it psychological, physical or sexual. As a result they often have deep-rooted problems. We at CENIT believe that in order to achieve a real change in the life of any individual, it is necessary to work with the child, his or her family, and the community. As a result, despite the fact that CENIT’s title is “The Center for the Working Girl”, CENIT helps children and family members regardless of gender, although it continues to place special emphasis on helping female children due to the fact that they tend to have a disproportionately large workload. CENIT is able to be effective due to the variety of programs we have, all of which confront the problems of working children, each with a different emphasis.”

Sister Rosa continues: “We are delighted to have the support of the Climb for Leaders, who we are confident can help us meet some of our key program objectives. Our community health clinic provides general health services to about 2,000 patients every year. The schools give educational and life skills to around 250 children per year, many of whom would not otherwise have the opportunity. The street outreach program helps over 190 children and parents by bringing educational recourses to the streets, and our drop-in-tutoring center (CEA) provides tutoring to about 70 children, helping them integrate into the school system. The time that Climb for Leaders students can volunteer here, and any funds they can contribute, will help sustain and strengthen our existing programs, some of which we sometimes have to trim back due to a shortage of funds, and growing costs.”

So we put together this comparison that shows how we differ along a host of key factors. In addition to these substantial differences, one of the key differentiators is our fanatical emphasis on safety, risk management and customer service. And above all, the role we assume with schools is that of a true partnership, which is essential to successfully pulling off  the programs we offer, and achieve the benefits we have seen schools and students enjoy.

- Essay
- Physical training
- Fund-raising
- Expedition
- Exploration
- Service project
- Environmental sustainability
- Wide-spread benefits
- Program costs
- Preparation and length

Please go here to access

>>>>  Climb for Leaders Ultimate Student Challenge – comparison with other programs <<<<

We’d be pleased to discuss this comparison in more detail.

1. Do our expeditions, service trips, and international student travel programs meet the requirements of a well recognized standard like BS8848?
2. Do we have a detailed Risk Assessment and Management System, that is communicated widely, for every phase of the trip?
3. Do our parent permission and waiver forms adequately spell out all the project risks so that there is informed consent by parents and students? (hint: many school permission forms are woefully inadequate at this)
4. Do we carry out a full reconnaissance for our expeditions, service trips, international student travel programs? If not, are we truly aware of the risks involved, and the competencies of the local tour operator?
5. Are the competencies of the teachers/faculty accompanying the students clearly spelt out?
6. Is there a Crisis Management Team, with clear responsibilities, available at the school during the entire trip, even during holidays?
7. Do we have the right type of insurance for expeditions? Not all travel insurance is the same – they vary widely in terms of what is /is not covered.
8. How can we get 100s of students, beyond those participating directly in the program, to benefit and learn meaningfully?
9. How can the students participating make a much more meaningful and lasting impact on the environment beyond paying into a carbon offset program?
10. How can we make this experience one that is truly life changing for EVERY student who participates?

There are numerous other questions we can think of, and would be happy to discuss, but we thought this was a good starting point.

If you have other key questions you’d like to suggest, please email us: narmin@climbforleaders.com