Climb Kilimanjaro for Abused Girls
Donation protected
My name is Antonia Furlong, a mother of two gorgeous young girls.
Last year, around the time of my eldest daughters 4th birthday, I found myself steadily retracting into a cavern of darkness, guilt and shame. My world was shrinking, I moved away from life and the sheer weight of it was collapsing in on me. I was struggling with post natal depression.

So far there have been many chapters of this journey, the real darkness, loneliness, anger, shame and guilt, the need for help and reaching out, the hope for something, anything better, the change of scenery and being closer to family and the resettling and new beginnings of a new place to call home.
I finally feel I am coming out the 'other side'; I am more settled and balanced. I have regained a sense of self, health and wellbeing and so now find there a great pull in me to do something more, something meaningful, something bigger than me, to do something for others. Something that will be an essential part of my continued journey to wellness.
A friend asked me a simple question sometime ago after I learned what she was embarking upon. I could have hidden behind the numerous excuses as to why I shouldn't or couldn't, I instead saw this as a great opportunity and so have decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the young girls of Rafiki Mwema.
Imagine the horrors of being beaten and abused by those who should be protecting you.
Imagine being sexually abused – often countless times – by men and women who discard you like a piece of rubbish. Where your community dare not welcome you into their hearts as you are no longer clean, and somehow you are to blame.
Imagine you are a child with no one in the world to care for you. Imagine being as young as 2 years old and being shunned and beaten for your sin of being raped.

Rafiki Mwema means ‘Loyal Friend' and is an essential therapeuatic safe house in Kenya for very young girls who have been sexually abused. There are sadly too many girls under the age of 12 who have experienced sexual abuse and currently there is no specialised care for these very vulnerable children.
One child is 7 years old. Her mother died a few years ago and her father did not take care of her or her brother. He was an abusive man who would prostitute his baby daughter to local men. The police caught a man in the process of raping this child and he is now in prison for life. They are working with her but she is on a long road to recovery. She has night terrors every night and wets her bed. She is a beautiful little girl and they hope they can help her to deal with the terrors that haunt her.
One little angel is 8 years old and lived on the streets for the last 4 years, having sex to support her siblings. She took on all the roles of the parent but was only 8. When she came to Rafiki Mwema she was exhausted and very aggressive with the other girls. She is blossoming into the most wonderful child but needs time and security in her life. She now smiles – something they thought would never happen.
Another young lady is 12 years old and is the most traumatized child they have ever known. Her mother has been prostituting her for the last 10 years and has been raped by literally hundreds of men. She was beaten by her mother if she protested. She is physically and emotional wrecked. She may never be able to function in the way children do and they are deeply fearful for her future. She thinks she must have sex with every male she sees. The work with her is complex and long term. Rafiki Mwema will find a safe therapeutic home for her but their support will continue for many years to come. She breaks hearts every time they think of what has happened.

Rafiki Mwema is a place to help these little girls make sense of the horrors that they have experienced, allow them access to any medical treatment they need, support them through the court system, and where possible to work with their families for a safe return to the home.
As you can imagine having 54 children in care at the Rafiki houses, plus over 50 children living out of Rafiki, there are lots of ongoing costs. Not only the day to day expenses but also those to ensure all of the staff are therapeutically trained so they can care for the children in the best way possible.
"This is for the kids who know that the worst kind of fear isn't the thing that makes you scream, but the one that steals your voice and keeps you silent."
~ Abby Norman
Most importantly the children at Rafiki Mwema need a loving home environment with caring staff that provide a high standard of therapeutic care for all the children, this includes individual key workers for each child.

Money well spent
The money raised will help build a new home for the littlest girls on the grounds and used for the ongoing running costs including the staff therapeutic training for Rafiki Mwema. I must raise a minimum £1500 for the girls and initially I was going to use anything over that to fund the trek. I feel now that is not the right thing to be doing or what this is all about. These girls need it more. Every penny to the £1 donated will go to them. That is my promise.
What I've Signed Up For ~ Mount Kilimanjaro
This is my journey of healing both myself and to help heal these girls and it all begins in January 2017. There is much to prepare for, training to be done and logistics to organise and that's just the beginning.
Mount Kilimanjaro is no mean feat. It's the worlds tallest free standing mountain standing at an imposing 5,895m (19,341ft). We will climb along the
Macheme route of 62km (37miles) and this will take us 7 days. We will be walking anything up to 10km each day. The day we summit will start at midnight and may not finish until after 4pm that day. There are some long and exhausting days ahead.
Kilimanjaro is a place of extremes. We trek through 4 different climatic zones; Tropical rainforest (~800 - 3000m), low alpine (3000 - 4200m), high alpine (4200 - 5000m), and glacial (5000 - 5895m). Temperatures vary widely in these climatic zones from 15 degrees centigrade down to -5, on average, at night and in January we can expect anything up to 20cm of snow.
The ascent of Kilimajaro is rapid in the short 7 day adventure so there are genuine concerns of altitude sickness. My intention will remain to raise and donate the funds for the girls whether or not I summit. I must maintain a healthy concern for my wellbeing on the mountain.

Once I get back down the mountain (and had a well deserved rest) I am taking the opportunity to meet the children at Rafiki Mwema. This in itself will make every minute of the training and preparation for the trek worthwhile. I'll get to meet the children and their carers and begin to understand the traumas and heartache they have been through. I'll also experience what it takes for each child to be nurtured and cared for so each and everyone of them has a better chance at life and a much brighter future. I'll learn so much more and gain a deeper understanding of what needs to be done from this extraordinary opportunity.
To see it all first hand will be invaluable.
Please help the children of Rafiki Mwema.
Thank you.

Last year, around the time of my eldest daughters 4th birthday, I found myself steadily retracting into a cavern of darkness, guilt and shame. My world was shrinking, I moved away from life and the sheer weight of it was collapsing in on me. I was struggling with post natal depression.
So far there have been many chapters of this journey, the real darkness, loneliness, anger, shame and guilt, the need for help and reaching out, the hope for something, anything better, the change of scenery and being closer to family and the resettling and new beginnings of a new place to call home.
I finally feel I am coming out the 'other side'; I am more settled and balanced. I have regained a sense of self, health and wellbeing and so now find there a great pull in me to do something more, something meaningful, something bigger than me, to do something for others. Something that will be an essential part of my continued journey to wellness.
A friend asked me a simple question sometime ago after I learned what she was embarking upon. I could have hidden behind the numerous excuses as to why I shouldn't or couldn't, I instead saw this as a great opportunity and so have decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the young girls of Rafiki Mwema.
Imagine the horrors of being beaten and abused by those who should be protecting you.
Imagine being sexually abused – often countless times – by men and women who discard you like a piece of rubbish. Where your community dare not welcome you into their hearts as you are no longer clean, and somehow you are to blame.
Imagine you are a child with no one in the world to care for you. Imagine being as young as 2 years old and being shunned and beaten for your sin of being raped.
Rafiki Mwema means ‘Loyal Friend' and is an essential therapeuatic safe house in Kenya for very young girls who have been sexually abused. There are sadly too many girls under the age of 12 who have experienced sexual abuse and currently there is no specialised care for these very vulnerable children.
One child is 7 years old. Her mother died a few years ago and her father did not take care of her or her brother. He was an abusive man who would prostitute his baby daughter to local men. The police caught a man in the process of raping this child and he is now in prison for life. They are working with her but she is on a long road to recovery. She has night terrors every night and wets her bed. She is a beautiful little girl and they hope they can help her to deal with the terrors that haunt her.
One little angel is 8 years old and lived on the streets for the last 4 years, having sex to support her siblings. She took on all the roles of the parent but was only 8. When she came to Rafiki Mwema she was exhausted and very aggressive with the other girls. She is blossoming into the most wonderful child but needs time and security in her life. She now smiles – something they thought would never happen.
Another young lady is 12 years old and is the most traumatized child they have ever known. Her mother has been prostituting her for the last 10 years and has been raped by literally hundreds of men. She was beaten by her mother if she protested. She is physically and emotional wrecked. She may never be able to function in the way children do and they are deeply fearful for her future. She thinks she must have sex with every male she sees. The work with her is complex and long term. Rafiki Mwema will find a safe therapeutic home for her but their support will continue for many years to come. She breaks hearts every time they think of what has happened.
Rafiki Mwema is a place to help these little girls make sense of the horrors that they have experienced, allow them access to any medical treatment they need, support them through the court system, and where possible to work with their families for a safe return to the home.
As you can imagine having 54 children in care at the Rafiki houses, plus over 50 children living out of Rafiki, there are lots of ongoing costs. Not only the day to day expenses but also those to ensure all of the staff are therapeutically trained so they can care for the children in the best way possible.
"This is for the kids who know that the worst kind of fear isn't the thing that makes you scream, but the one that steals your voice and keeps you silent."
~ Abby Norman
Most importantly the children at Rafiki Mwema need a loving home environment with caring staff that provide a high standard of therapeutic care for all the children, this includes individual key workers for each child.
Money well spent
The money raised will help build a new home for the littlest girls on the grounds and used for the ongoing running costs including the staff therapeutic training for Rafiki Mwema. I must raise a minimum £1500 for the girls and initially I was going to use anything over that to fund the trek. I feel now that is not the right thing to be doing or what this is all about. These girls need it more. Every penny to the £1 donated will go to them. That is my promise.
What I've Signed Up For ~ Mount Kilimanjaro
This is my journey of healing both myself and to help heal these girls and it all begins in January 2017. There is much to prepare for, training to be done and logistics to organise and that's just the beginning.
Mount Kilimanjaro is no mean feat. It's the worlds tallest free standing mountain standing at an imposing 5,895m (19,341ft). We will climb along the
Macheme route of 62km (37miles) and this will take us 7 days. We will be walking anything up to 10km each day. The day we summit will start at midnight and may not finish until after 4pm that day. There are some long and exhausting days ahead.
Kilimanjaro is a place of extremes. We trek through 4 different climatic zones; Tropical rainforest (~800 - 3000m), low alpine (3000 - 4200m), high alpine (4200 - 5000m), and glacial (5000 - 5895m). Temperatures vary widely in these climatic zones from 15 degrees centigrade down to -5, on average, at night and in January we can expect anything up to 20cm of snow.
The ascent of Kilimajaro is rapid in the short 7 day adventure so there are genuine concerns of altitude sickness. My intention will remain to raise and donate the funds for the girls whether or not I summit. I must maintain a healthy concern for my wellbeing on the mountain.
Once I get back down the mountain (and had a well deserved rest) I am taking the opportunity to meet the children at Rafiki Mwema. This in itself will make every minute of the training and preparation for the trek worthwhile. I'll get to meet the children and their carers and begin to understand the traumas and heartache they have been through. I'll also experience what it takes for each child to be nurtured and cared for so each and everyone of them has a better chance at life and a much brighter future. I'll learn so much more and gain a deeper understanding of what needs to be done from this extraordinary opportunity.
To see it all first hand will be invaluable.
Please help the children of Rafiki Mwema.
Thank you.
Organizer
Antonia Furlong
Organizer
