Climbing Denali for Semey Polygon Project
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Hi, I'm Indira and I have just returned from Alaska where I successfully climbed the highest mountain in North America, Mount Denali at 6,194m - hence the current fundraising goal equals its height £6,194.
Denali is also one of The World’s 7 Summits - the highest point on each continent. So far I have successfully climbed 4 of them: Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Denali.
The journey to the summit was long, physically & emotionally challenging and I was pushed to my limits.
Kazakhstan’s flag was raised on top and you can see I’m holding a painting by Mr Karipbek Kuyukov. The summit was reached on Friday 14th June at 6.30pm local time
The funds will be used directly to help the affected children & adults in Semey region, Kazakhstan. Specifically, those who were born with various physical and neurological birth defects due to the genetic mutations caused by the Nuclear Tests. The tests were conducted for 40 years (1949-1989) by the former Soviet Union, and the testing site is known as Semey Polygon.
On this Project I’m collaborating with a Kazakh Artist, Mr Karipbek Kuyukov, who was born without arms as a direct result of these tests. Together we would like to raise awareness of the tragic consequences.
Mr Kuyukiv did a painting specifically for our Project, please see the link below how it was created.
The Polygon occupied 18,500 sq km, but many villages were located around the Polygon's territory. Mr Kuyukov and I were born in the villages in close proximity to the Polygon’s borders.
The people in the villages just continued to live there, as they had no knowledge of the potential danger to their health and the environment. No information was provided by the authorities and no relocation took place. These villages still exist and next generation of families live there and raise the children.
In the past, I have fundraised for:
- The Special Care Baby Unit for premature babies at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough (UK);
- The Link Foundation, a charity based in Marlow/Maidenhead (UK), that help children & their families in difficult situations regardless of the race, background and religion;
- The school in my village Sosnovka in Kazakhstan to help purchase sport equipment.
Many thanks for your kind donations & amazing support!
Organizer
Indira Weaver
Organizer
England