Summit Number 2 and Fundraising Update!!!

On December 30, 2008 one of my best friends, Trisha Haakonstad, and I made it to the summit of Mt. Kosciuszko, 2228m, Australia, to benefit International Medical Corps!

So we are 2 summits down and 5 more to go! I will be posting more details to the hike itself, but it was a cold, cold day in Thredbo with temperatures of 0 Celcius and a -5 to -10 windchill at the top. It was again amazing to make it up there with one of my closest friends all to benefit International Medical Corps and women in the Congo and Uganda. Mt. Kos is a 5 hour drive from Sydney and located near Thredbo Village in Kosciuszko National Park. It is by far the easiest of the 7 summits to reach, yet it was a long journey to Australia from Portland, and we were hit with some pretty foul weather that day :o) We were fortunate enough to bring in the New Year in Sydney the following day after reaching the summit.

View our photos:

A want to give a VERY BIG THANK YOU to all of our supporters!!!!!!!! All you have done has had a tremendous impact! All funds raised in 2008 are being utilized to support a new reproductive health 'Center of Excellence' in South Kivu, Congo, that will train physicians and nurse anesthetists in complicated gynecologicalprocedures and improve women's access to quality health services. One of the most critical procedures that IMC will focus on in the Center is first and second-degree fistula repair, a rupture that can occur during birth and violent cases of rape. If leftuntreated, fistulas can lead to very serious health complications, even death.

In Democratic Republic of Congo, there is only hospital in the country that specializes in helping victims of sexual violence, Panzi Hospital, which receives anastonishing caseload of 400 patients per month. This new center will help lower their burden and improve the care for victims of sexual violence.

A BIG BIG THANK YOU!!! Your support has and will continue to make a difference! To continue supporting our efforts, please visit: http://www.climbtakeaction.com/ . Uganda needs additional health facilities as well.

Our next climb is Kilimanjaro July 2009! Join us for this amazing trek and help us raise funds and awareness for women in the Congo and Uganda and help International Medical Corps continue their amazing work!

For more details visit: http://m.facebook.com/event.php?r6f8a5452=&eid=42351129282&refid=25


Warmest wishes and many thanks!!!!!

Georgina