Elzbieta Antosiewicz, Year 3 Geography student:
This week I caught up with Elzbieta Antosiewicz, who has taken on the challenging role of group leader for the FXU climb Kilimanjaro team who are working with the charity Dig Deep to raise money for clean water.
What is the charity all about, and what inspired you to get involved?
Dig Deep is a small charity set up in 2007 and is run mainly by volunteers. It works with communities in Kenya to improve their access to clean water and sanitation. Since it’s founding the charity has provided over 250,000 people with clean water and renewable energy supplies for schools and orphanages. The charity works alongside local businesses to ensure long-term partnerships and to increase the benefits of the project by creating jobs for the locals.
I was inspired mainly because of my course. We learn so much about water security in geography and I wanted to help make a change. I think it’s irrelevant to learn about the bad things that are happening in poorer countries if we are not willing to help and make their lives better.
What is your role in the campaign?
I am the group leader so I recruit team members for the trip and support them throughout their fundraising process. I also organise socials events to raise money and aim to motivate the group through the actual climb as well as before it.
When are you going to Africa?
The trip takes place in the last week of August to the first week of September next year.
Do you know much about Kilimanjaro and Tanzania?
Not particularly. My granddad was actually born in Tanzania so he’s often told me stories from his childhood and therefore it’s always been a country that I’ve wanted to visit. Kilimanjaro to me was always just one of those big landmarks you think of when you think about Africa. I never thought I’d be getting the chance to climb it.
What are you most excited about/nervous about climbing Kilimanjaro?
I think the most exciting thing is getting to visit a country that is so different to the UK. As a geography student I’ve learnt so much about different cultures and yet I’ve never experienced any of them, so I look forward to visiting new places and seeing what they’re like in reality. I want to go travelling so this is just the start of the places I want to go! I am nervous about a few things – raising the money for the group and being team leader is a lot of work and I don’t want to let my team down. I’m not actually worried about the hike though. I reckon it’ll be fun and a once in a lifetime experience, so what is there to worry about?
Have you done anything like this before?
I’ve never done anything quite like this before. I’ve always enjoyed walking, especially around Cornwall with all the lovely coastal paths and beaches to explore. I did do my Gold DofE when I was at sixth form which was a similar type of trip just on a much smaller scale, and for that we went to Dartmoor and climbed 7 of the 10 tors and camped in the wild.
Will there be a lot of training?
We have organised training that takes place with the charity around Easter time when all the teams head to Wales and climb Snowdon in preparation for Kilimanjaro. We are also hoping to organise a hike around Dartmoor just for the FXU team as we think it will be a good bonding experience.
Will there be other activities included besides your trek up Mount Kilimanjaro?
After climbing Kilimanjaro, we get to spend 10 days in Tanzania exploring. This is an independent study time and team members have a choice of what they want to do. Some of the more popular options include the safari and visiting the island of Zanzibar.
How can people donate to the cause?
Everyone in the team has their own BT mydonate page that they can then post on social media etc. Anyone can donate to anyone’s page: just find Dig Deep Kilimanjaro on the mydonate page and find the person you want to donate to. Also we are doing street collections, cake sales, quizzes and various other events on campus from which all the proceeds will go to the charity – so look out for those!
Thank you so much for speaking with me about your campaign – I wish you and your team all the best!
For more information head to: Facebook – FXU climbs Kilimanjaro for clean water Instagram – kilimanjaro2016