A steep challenge for Etobicoke teenager.
Fifteen-year-old Shannon Dowling of Etobicoke, right, and her father Kieron, will be climbing Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro in August to raise money to build and fund a school in Kenya.
Photo/COURTESY
An Etobicoke teenager counts herself lucky to have access to "a great education" in Canada, and is now striving to provide the same opportunity for a village overseas.
Shannon Dowling, 15, along with her father Kieron, will be heading to Africa on Aug. 20 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is more than 19,300 feet high. In doing so, she hopes to raise $25,000 to build a school in Kenya, she said.
Through her research she discovered the hardships faced by youth in Kenya. "The only way for these young Kenyan girls to escape these horrific conditions and a life of poverty is through education," she noted.
Shannon and her father have been hiking to prepare for the climb, and the teenager also explained she was in the French Alps "for high-altitude training". Her father has scaled Mt. Ranier near Seattle, but "Kilimanjaro is a lot higher," he said with a laugh. "She's got me out there training."
Following the climb, the pair will head to the remote village of Maasai Mara in Kenya along with the organization Free the Children and its affiliate Me to We to build the facility, she said.
Shannon's father said her initiative "surprised me" and he's lending his full support. "Not only is she raising the funds for the climb, she can actually go and physically be there during the building of the school, and actually be there for the finish of it."
The pair is aiming to return for the start of the school year following Labour Day, he said.
The donations are already coming in, with about $10,000 collected toward the $25,000 goal, they said. "It takes $8,000 to build a school (there), but we want to be able to fund it for a whole year," said Shannon.
To help Shannon reach her fundraising goal, sponsor her at www.jatheon.com/charity