Limerick woman raises thousands for charity by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

A 24-YEAR-OLD Limerick woman has raised thousands for charity after she and a friend reached the summit of the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Rachael Sleath, from Corbally, has raised over €10,000 in funding alongside her Tipperary-born friend, Niamh Curtin, in aid of The Nasio Trust Foundation.

The Nasio Trust is a Kenyan NGO which supports orphaned and vulnerable children and supports communities in Kakamega County, Kenya.

Ms Sleath and Ms Curtin reached the summit of the mountain on March 8, International Women’s Day, alongside an all-female expedition team.

Ms Sleath has been living in London for the past number of years, where she works for Enterprise Ireland.

“Kilimanjaro was always on my bucket list - but due to Covid and everything, it got pushed off. But through this charity, I had another chance,” said Ms Sleath.

The Corbally native, who is a former student at the University of Limerick, described the climb as both challenging and rewarding.

“We started in the forest and there were monkeys around and that. It was stunning, then after a while we were in a desert area before we got to a base camp on day four.

“You have to go slowly because of altitude sickness. But after a few days of climbing you hit the base camp. Here, we had dinner and slept for an hour or two.

We left base camp at around 11pm and we summited at around 6.05am.

Ms Sleath described this as the hardest part of the journey with subzero temperatures, strong winds and little cover - however, the best part of the trip was yet to come.

“As we got to the top, the sun came up and we forgot everything. It was like heaven. It was just euphoric,” she added.

Ms Sleath received a lot of support from her native Limerick, including her local pub, O'Driscolls Bar, Athlunkard Rowing Club and a sponsorship from M&L Auto Repairs in Caherdavin.

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The money raised will now go to transforming the lives of disadvantaged children in Kenya. The Nasio Trust's mission involves initiatives such as providing access to education, healthcare, clean water, and other essential resources, as well as supporting community development projects.

Both Ms Sleath and Ms Curtin self funded the entire costs of their trip and climb, including the flights, gear needed for the climb and all required vaccinations.

For those who still wish to make donations to the fundraiser, they can do so at www.justgiving.com/page/ rachael-sleath