By Annie Flynn
IT’S A challenge of a lifetime for Ciana McGrath from Belcoo as she prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with the purpose of raising money for Dig Deep, a charity that provides clean water, toilets and hygiene education in Kenya.
Ciana will travel to Kenya this coming summer with a group of likeminded students from John Moore’s University Liverpool, where she studies Business with Finance. The climb will take place on August 20.
“It will take about six days to reach the summit before having to come back down. We’ll be trekking through a range of terrain covering 5 climate zones. It’s not just a physical challenge, the altitude makes it mentally tough too.” She said.
In order to prepare for this momentous trek Ciana said “I have been going to the gym, running and walking, I also spent the summer past in California leading wilderness activities, this has given me a taste of what it’s like to adapt to challenging outdoor environments.”
So far Ciana has raised 47 per cent of her £2,990 target, through donations.
“Every donation, big or small, is making a difference and I feel so grateful for the support I’ve already received.”
In order to reach her target, she has many fundraising projects in the pipeline and undertook the “Run 100km in a Month” challenge during January. She is tracking her progress on “Strava” for anyone to follow along. She is doing this not only in hopes reaching her donation goal but to get ready for the tremendous climb that awaits.
Ciana concluded by saying “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous the altitude and the physical effort are definitely intimidating. But that’s part of why it’s going to be such a rewarding adventure—standing on “THE ROOF OF AFRICIA” after challenging myself is something I am excited to experience, especially when it’s for such a brilliant cause.”
If you’d like to support Ciana on her climb you can donate here: https://dig-deep.enthuse.com/pf/ciana-mcgrath
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