Sustainable Energy for Ikirwa School

George Molina and Thomas Liu, two seniors at Hong Kong International School, as well as Bobby Liu, the father of Thomas, will set off on a journey to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa. On February 1st, we will embark on a six day trek up the mountain through the Machame route and hope to reach Uluhuru Peak on our final day, summiting at 5,895 m (19,341 ft.) 

Conquering the mountain, however, is merely a fraction of what we hope to accomplish through our project. The primary goal of George and Thomas' senior project is to raise funds and support Ikirwa School in Arusha, Tanzania. Ikirwa School provides education to children from villages around Mount Meru’s southern slopes, which is less than 50 miles from Mount Kilimanjaro. The school is hoping to expand its capacity to 120 students by the end of next year, which will further increase the need for electricity. Through our fundraising efforts, we aim to donate a solar panel system, purchased from a local solar company, that can be a source of sustainabe energy for the school that currently does not have access to electricity. The group have also scheduled a day in their itinerary to visit Ikirwa School.

All proceeds from our fundraising efforts will be directed towards this cause. All costs of the expedition will be covered by the climbers themselves, and not by any donations received. In the case that we surpass our initial goal of USD 6000, additional donations will then go towards sponsoring students or providing school supplies such as chairs and tables. Scholarships for Ikirwa students cost USD 375 per year, and also cover tuition, textbooks, school supplies, uniforms and breakfast. Ikirwa School also allows benefactors to follow the progress of the student they sponsor on the school blog and stay in touch via letters and art projects.

More information from Ikirwa School Website: 
"Ikirwa School was jointly established in 2011 by Maria (Masha) Skuratovskaya and Gasper Mbise, endeavoring to secure the best possible start in life for the children on Meru’s southern slopes." 
For more information about the Ikirwa School Project, please visit: (http://ikirwaschool.org/).

Thanks for supporting our cause!