Kilimanjaro Expedition Dispatch
March 2, 2008 – Team Extends Generosity at Linde School
A few children from the Linde School show their excitement
Today is March 2, 2009. This is Tracy and I’m calling you from 9,236 feet at Big Tree Camp.
Our day started with a visit to the Linde School. As we arrived I asked Trevor if the children were on recess because they were running around outside of the classroom. He told me they were just really excited because they knew we were coming to visit. All the smiling faces as we approached in the vehicle was quite a site! As we got out of the vehicle they all broke out into beautiful welcome songs.
A Calibus Monkey
After we toured the school we saw the windows that Trevor has just put in. He really did a great job! We were talking with the teachers and they mentioned that the school is down about 50 children from last year. The reason for this is not a lack of children wanting to go to school but not enough funding for teachers salaries, uniforms and food. The children are offered lunch at school with the funds that are available. Unfortunately they didn’t even have enough food for today when we were there. So this generous BBBS team extended their support for children by offering a group donation to cover a few days of lunch for the children.
After leaving the Linde School we started our way via Land Cruiser to the Lemosho Gates to start our climb. Wow, what a ride! It had just rained and the windy road was a lot of fun. It was an off-roading experience to the fullest! Our drivers Monty and Jacob pulled some Class A driving moves to gets us to the gates as far as we could go.
Walking up through the rainforest we saw a Calibus Monkey gliding through the trees. Their name Calibus comes from the Greek word meaning “no thumbs”. They have four fingers and no thumbs.
Everyone is feeling great and energetic. We are excited for tomorrow and the climb. Please stay tuned as we continue on!