Dame Evelyn Glennie to climb Africa’s Highest Mountain to give young disabled people a chance

Evelyn Glennie, the first person in musical history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, is taking on a new physical challenge to support the work of AbleChildAfrica.
Evelyn, who sees her own profound deafness as a key factor in her success will attempt the ascent of Kilimanjaro in November to raise money for us and help some of the continent’s 52 million disabled children to get a better start in life and achieve their own potential.

Most disabled children living in Africa today are still being denied an education; those that reach adulthood are unlikely to find decent employment and end up being driven further and further into poverty. Evelyn will climb with representatives of the charity and a group of young disabled people from the region and is seeking sponsors to help her maximize the funds raised from the climb.
Interested individuals, companies or organisation’s can help Evelyn reach her fundraising target of £25K by donating on line at http://www.justgiving.com/Evelyn-Glennie.

Evelyn is strongly motivated by her own story; here she tells us why she is so keen to participate in the climb: “I have chosen AbleChildAfrica and the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro because I want to make a sustainable difference to our next generation. I have good reason to recognize the importance of education for ALL children; it empowered me to make my own unique journey in life. The children supported by this charity desperately need inclusion. A disabled child in Africa is too often without hope. Enabling these children means enrichment, quality of life, and reduced dependency for them, their families and communities. My challenge is to climb a mountain – your challenge is to help me make a difference”.

Mary Ann Mhina, Executive Director of AbleChildAfrica said: “Evelyn is an inspiration to us all. 52 million disabled young people in Africa are denied their rights on a daily basis. 95% do not complete their primary education and less than 2% are employed thereafter. Yet disabled young people have the right to be independent, included and make their own choices. To learn what they want to learn and choose a career and lifestyle for themselves. We are so please that Evelyn has chosen to join us on this journey, going the extraordinary mile to help demonstrate that disabled people can achieve what they want to achieve, given the opportunities”