What is the Everest Peace Project?
Their mission statement: 'The Everest Peace Project is having international, multi-cultural Peace Climbs on mountains across the world. In harmony with the United Nations' fundamental goals, our vision, through the example of international cooperation is to promote a Global Community of Peace, Teamwork and Cultural Understanding.'
The group say their aims are to celebrate diversity and differences in culture, but at the same time climb as a team who all share a 'common home', the earth. They aspire to show how easily people from various faiths can live together, work together and depend on each other. Find out more at www.everestpeaceproject.com
The group was formed in October, 2002, when founder Lance Trumbull was trekking in India. On top of a mountain, overlooking valleys, he was suddenly inspired to from a project that would enable people from different faiths and cultures to "unite the world on top of the world"
Helping children
Forming a close bond with many under-educated children on his travels, Lance decided that he would use the project to raise funds and help give children access to resources that would benefit their education.
Because of this, the Everest Peace Project works alongside Room to Read, an organisation that builds schools and libraries throughout Asia. They have already established over 2000 libraries and hope to establish many more. Both groups helped fund a library for children in Nepal. You can find out more at www.RoomtoRead.org
Donate
To donate to the Everest Peace Project, with a portion of your donation going towards helping build a library or school, visit www.everestpeaceproject.org/become_individual_sponsor
Costs of climbing the tallest mountain in the world can be high so the team rely on a wide variety of sponsors to help fund the climbs. Dh300 could help buy a yak to carry the climbing equipment on the journey, and Dh75, 000 would cover the costs of oxygen. For donations of Dh150 or over the EPP will give you a free DVD of their achievements so far.
EPP Goals
1. To organise safe Peace Climbs in the name of peace and to promote an international community of peace, teamwork, education and global understanding.
2. To educate children - the future peacemakers of the world, about peace, teamwork and the different faiths, peoples and cultures on our planet.
3. To inspire and motivate people to similar acts of peace and teamwork, which they can bring to their own local communities.
4. To promote interfaith dialogue
5. To help build at least one school and one library for the children in Nepal through our education partner Room to Read
The UN
The EPP is supported by the United Nations. Adolph Ogi, of the UN Sport for Development and Peace body, is a special advisor to Kofi Annan. He said,
"The Everest Peace Project's group of peace mountaineers from various origins and faiths will be a perfect example for the way common solutions must be found to achieve our common goals?What better example for the deeply inter-dependent human community than a rope of mountaineers from various faiths and origins able to rely on each other and to reach the top of the world."
