We need your help. We are collecting second-hand clothing for the porters on Kilimanjaro and we want you to send us any old trekking equipment you have that you no longer use.
Here is a list of what we want to collect for the porters. Please do not send us anything which does not appear on this list.
Hiking socks, Fleeces, Water Bottles, Water Bladders, Base Layers, Trekking Pants, Rain Jackets, Rain Trousers, Down Jackets, Scarves, Head Torches, Gaiters, Hats, Buffs, Gloves, Back Packs, Walking Boots, Sleeping Bags, Sleeping Bag Liners, Thermarests, Duffel Bags and Dry Bags.
Please send it to Earth’s Edge, 97C Morehampton Rd, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 before June 15th 2016. We are also looking for volunteers to help us sort through all of the equipment, if you are available to help us please get in touch.
For more about Porter Welfare, how we treat our porters and KPAP please see below.
In December 2015 Earth’s Edge became Ireland’s first partner of the Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Programme (KPAP) – www.kiliporters.org. KPAP is an American run Tanzanian based NGO, who are campaigning for porter welfare on Kilimanjaro. As you will understand when climbing Kilimanjaro we are all so dependent on the hard work of the porters who carry loads on the mountain. They are the unsung heroes of all climbing teams and without their help we would not be able to experience this wonderful mountain. The reality is the porters are often impoverished Tanzanians who are dependent on this labour-intensive work to feed their families.
Unfortunately, the porters have very few working rights and are often exploited. All too often they are underpaid, poorly fed, overloaded and don’t have adequate clothing for the mountain. This is where KPAP come in. KPAP send one of their staff on each of our Kilimanjaro climbs to independently audit how we are treating our porters. The four areas they focus on are as follows:
· That we provide our porters with three meals per day.
· That porters have adequate clothing for the mountain.
· That porters carry a maximum of 20kg on the mountain. This is typically made up of a 15kg load plus 5 kg of their own clothing.
· That the porters are paid properly and that we have a fair and transparent tipping process in place.
At Earth’s Edge it is important to us that all of our clients and staff are clear on how the tip is divided on the mountain. We follow the instructions given to us by KPAP on how best to divide the tip.
At Earth’s Edge our average group size is 12 climbers plus our guide and doctor = 14 people. We recommend everyone tips USD 150. If everyone tips that will give us a total tip amount of USD 2,100 (12 x USD 150 + USD 300 as we tip on behalf of our guide and doctor). With a group that size our local team will be made up as follows and receive roughly the following share of tips.
Head Guide: 1 person USD 150 x 1 = USD 150
Assistant Guides: 5 people USD 100 x 5 = USD 500
Cooks: 2 people USD 90 x 2 = USD 180
Porters: 36 people USD 35 x 36 = USD 1,260
Total: USD 2,090
Please note the above figures are a guideline based on an average of 12 clients. We ask our clients not to tip any local staff directly as it’s important that all of the team get their fair share of the tips.
The single the most important thing one can do as a climber on Kilimanjaro is to book your climb with a KPAP partner company. Unfortunately, porters are still all too often mistreated on Kilimanjaro. When you book with the KPAP partner company you can be sure the porters on your climb are treated fairly.
If you have any questions about tipping or porter welfare, please contact James (jam@earths-edge.com) in the Earth’s Edge office.
