Such Great Heights
Project C:change, a social enterprise founded by Sean Lee-davies, takes an eight-day climb to new heights
Few things will give you a fresh perspective like climbing to the top of one of the world’s tallest summits. On January 26, Project C:change, a social enterprise founded by Sean Lee-davies, brought a team of 12 adventurers on an eight-day charity climb to Mt Kilimanjaro’s peak—at an incredible 5,985m above sea level, it is the highest peak in Africa. The goal? To combat illegal wildlife trade and raise awareness about biodiversity loss and the impact it will have on the planet, on humans and on global economic growth.
“People forget that wildlife is integral to our survival. We are entering an age of mass extinction due to human activity. If we’re not careful, we could lose a lot,” says Lee-davies. “The purpose of these challenges is to inspire these influential figures to change the way businesses are run. We all have a part to play; everyone has a skill, everyone has a community that they can do something with. There are many things we can do to make our impact on this planet less impactful.”
Lee-davies climbed Kilimanjaro nine years ago on a similar mission. This time around, however, he said there was a notable change in weather conditions, namely torrential rainfall on all except one of their days
on the mountain. “It was shocking because this time of year is meant to be their dry season,” he says. “It’s just another example of the extreme weather our world is experiencing as a result of climate change.”
It certainly added to the already gruelling climb for the group, which included Raline Shah, Indonesian actress and activist; Katrina Razon, CEO of KSR Ventures and producer of Wonderfruit Festival; and Mark Machin, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, to name a few. As well as sharing plenty of laughs and learning about the region’s rich biodiversity, the climbers, who started out as strangers, bonded over the challenge.
“Our group was so supportive of each other,” says Razon. “There were moments when I doubted whether I’d make it to the top, but the collective morale brought me to the peak. When we reached it, people broke into tears. The whole experience was emotional, exhausting and exhilarating.”
Adds Lee-davies: “When the rain stops and the clouds clear and you see the peaks, the beautiful vistas and the landscape, it’s a spiritual experience.”
Project C:change aims to raise US$150,000 for The Nature Conservancy to protect landscape and wildlife for the future.