A cure at the mountain top

Oct 30, 2008

MOST people do it for fun. But these ones did it for a more noble cause. Sam Baguma, Dr. Juliet Bataringaya Wavamunno and her brother Dr. Geoffrey Bataringaya, conquered more than the great heights of Africa’s highest mountain when the trio recently climbed Mt Kilimanjaro.

By Stephen Ssenkaaba

MOST people do it for fun. But these ones did it for a more noble cause. Sam Baguma, Dr. Juliet Bataringaya Wavamunno and her brother Dr. Geoffrey Bataringaya, conquered more than the great heights of Africa’s highest mountain when the trio recently climbed Mt Kilimanjaro.

They conquered people’s hearts and changed lives. On September 29, Baguma, the Bataringaya siblings and three colleagues ascended Africa’s highest free-standing mountain peak as part of an international six-person team of Africans and Americans.

The expedition was part of an ongoing initiative by CURE International, a non-profit, medical organisation that operates a hospital in Mbale and nine other hospitals worldwide to raise awareness about the plight of disabled children in Africa, particularly Uganda. They raised money to help fund the children’s medical care. On October 3, the three Ugandans and two colleagues arrived at the 5,895 meter summit after four and a half grueling days of battling extreme temperatures, high altitudes and low oxygen levels.

“It was an exhausting expedition but one that was worth the effort and time,” says Dr. Bataringaya. As a result, the team raised more than $500,000 (over sh800m), donations from corporate bodies and generous individuals.

All these contributions will be used to care for children at CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda in Mbale. “The donated funds will help fund corrective surgeries for at least 500 disabled children,” the group says.

“Many African children live with disabilities that can be corrected, but are hidden away where nobody knows about them,” says Sam Baguma, CURE’s regional director of development for Africa. “We want to show there is hope for these children. And what better place to shout this than from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa!”

They shouted out very loud and we have heard.

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