Bahraini teenager makes history as she reaches Everest Base Camp
13-year-old Juwan proves an inspiration to group of Gulf women on expedition
Thirteen-year-old Juwan Abdul Khaleq has become the youngest Bahraini girl to reach Everest Base Camp.
The eighth-grader celebrated the feat by holding up a banner featuring the Bahraini flag and the message ‘I raise you above the clouds’.
Juwan reached the South Base Camp in Nepal, which lies at an altitude of 5,364 metres, in the company of 20 Gulf women aged between 23 and 47.
Apart from Juwan, the adventurers included 12 women from Bahrain, four from Kuwait, three from Saudi Arabia and one from the UAE.
Later, they all said they were particularly impressed with the mental and physical endurance displayed by Juwan throughout the adventure to the base camp and back that lasted 12 days.
“She is a very special person and she inspired us in many ways,” Rasha Yousuf, a Bahraini adventure blogger and photographer, said. “Juwan is fortunate to have such supportive parents and family members.”
Fatima Al Mahmoud, another adventurer, said that despite her young age, Juwan had proved fully committed to the strenuous exercises that preceded the adventure without losing focus as a student when it came to her studies. That meant a tight schedule in which she had to walk, jog and cycle early in the morning before attending her classes.
A few months ago, Juwan had no interest in trekking or mountain climbing but that changed when she met young Bahraini women who had climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, late December, and got to hear their stories. She told the group in February that she would join their next expedition.
The women in the expedition said they were truly thankful to Mariam, Juwan’s mother, for letting her daughter join them.
“We love you for letting us borrow her and for allowing us to learn so much from her during the past two weeks,” Fatima told Mariam.
Juwan is already looking forward to the next adventure and to ensuring that the white and red banner of Bahrain soars high above the clouds.