Kilimanjaro Porters society

This society was registered under the name Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society on 30th September 2005 as a non govermental organization with a certificate no 13296 under the organization art of the United Republic of Tanzania.  The society exists as a shield for porters who are registered under it with the goal of  improving the living and working condition of these porters.
The fact that a large percent of the porters are low income earners who are either semi-illitrate or illitrate, mount kilimanjaro porters society we ensures that these porters are taken care of in the case of payments as they come back from work and other aspects that relates with work and their normal lives.  With our big assistance from  mount kilimanjaro porters society we ensures that porters are benefited in the listed ways below:

1. Health Insurance

With the nature of work the porters do it is easy to get sick or injured while they work, for this case all porters under Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society are registered on the National Health Insurance Fund to secure them if they get sick or injured while working. Together with that at the beginning of every high season (more tourists climbing kilimanjaro), Mount kilimanjaro porters society we ensures that all porters are healthy checked so as to start the season while everyone is physically fit.
  2. First Aid Training
We reduce the risk of loosing lives for both tourists and porters, the porters under Mount kilimanjaro Porters Society are trained with the basic mountain first aid knowledge which enables them to be of help between themselves and even to clients. The training is usually done during low season (less tourists climbing Kilimanjaro) because here many porters are in town and they attend in high numbers.
  3. Beginner English Learning Classes
Almost 90% of the porters can not speak English, for this reason it is hard for them to communicate with tourists whenever required to.  To remove this misunderstanding Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society organizers tailor we made english classes for the porters which enables them to gain the basic language knowledge and be able to communicate with the tourits. Also this is done during low season (less tourists climbing Kilimanjaro) because many porters are in town and the number of attendees is high.
  5. HIV Aids Education
HIV AIDS has been a threatening disease in our country for a while now. People with less knowledge on how to prevent themselve from such a disease have been attacked by this disease generations to generations. Poverty and illiteracy is the main cause for this disease that is why as Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society usually we arranges HIV AIDS classes for the porters so that they can learn how to prevent themselves from it and also to be able to go to work and take care of their families.
  4. Financial Management Education
With the income they earn without proper methods of saving and using it will be difficult for porters to take care of their families. Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society we arranges finacial managemnet classes for porters from time to time and also we ensures that all porters have bank accounts for which their salaries are paid to and also they use them to save money for the future especially during low season when few tourists climb Kilimanjaro.

For More information about Mount Kilimanjaro Porters society, its other sponsors, projects and initiatives please visit their website http://www.kilimanjaro-porters.org/

DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY: MEET A MAN WITH NO RIGHT LEG AND RIGHT ARM MADE IT TO THE TOP OF MT. KILIMANJARO FOR A CAUSE!

JOHN Cairns (50), a Canadian man who lost his right arm and right leg in a workplace accident in 1992, accompanied by Lucas Wise-man had 7-day Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Expedition through Rongai route to raise awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities and funds for his Wheelchair of Hope Foundation.

A man with only one left leg and one right hand from America is not a sailor. But still he has a right to shout: “Ahoy there!” because he managed to reach a top Mt. Kilimanjaro representing a cause for people with physical disabilities worldwide.
As Cairns recalls it was around 6.35 a.m. on August 7, 2016 during their summiting to the ‘Roof of Africa’ after a breath taking 2 and half hour slow walk from Hans Meyer cave that he managed to reach Gilman’s point, 5,681 meters, above sea level.

“For some seconds I totally forgot that I came along with my friend Lucas Wiseman, then some 15 minutes or so later turning I saw him coming towards me from Uhuru peak (5,895m ASL), just few meters from where I was in a second group under guidance from professional mountain guide from the ZARA Tanzania Adventures and it downed on me that he has made it. We both made it!”

He recollected that was the culmination of “our seven day Mt. Kilimanjaro climb” through the toughest Rongai route that to him still seems like a dream. “Reaching Gilman’s peak was a dream come true
but the actual climb is a long episode that ones need to grow old first to forget,” Mr. Cairns noted in an exclusive interviews with this paper with tears of joy!

“I do like the challenge that’s why I come to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro though I lost my right leg and hand and I’m very much appreciate myself that I made it to the Gilman’s Peak with the ‘great assistance’  from Edwin Kilawe, a Tour Guide with ZARA Tanzania Adventures..” he explained.

According to Mr. Cairns, he dreamed to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro for a long time to prove to the World that ‘Anything is Possible if you like’ and disabled can do if assisted.

“When back to Canada I will tout for all people to come to Tanzania and enjoy agony, joy and pride of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I thank God that I made it to high peak, much salutes goes to ZARA mountain guides, Edwin Kilawe and Joseph Meela and their team for their good assistance who was very patient and kind to me. They assisted me very much to fulfill my dream, and next year I will come to scale gain the highest Peak of Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro to Uhuru peak…” Mr. Cairns further explained in tears of joy.

  Commenting on why he decided to ‘take Mt. Kilimanjaro challenge’ Cairns explained that, he has decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro which is also famously known as ‘The Roof of Africa’ with also the aim of delivering mobility into the lives of children, teens and adults, within the community who otherwise would have limited resources to acquire a wheelchair on their own in Canada and in Tanzania through the charity Kilimanjaro climbing organized by the ZARA Tanzania Adventures for the cause.
According to him, his mission through his charity organization called Wheelchair of Hope Foundation is also transforming lives through providing dignity of mobility, hope and opportunity through freedom of independence.
“Through the generosity and support of both local and international sponsors, Wheelchair of Hope Foundation is able to deliver hope, independence, and enable human and social upward mobility…” Cairns explained.
On his way to the highest top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Cairns provided free toothbrushes and toothpaste to the marginalized children in Rombo district, Kilimanjaro region donated by Family Dental Centre in Canada.

 Explaining his life experience and how he became physically disabled, John Cairns explained that; “Twenty-three years back, I was hit by a train and survived,” he said. “I’ve met many mountains, some the size of Mount Everest metaphorically, and have climbed and succeeded to achieve just unbelievable success through tragedy.”



Two years ago, Cairns founded the Wheelchair of Hope Foundation, which gives the gift of mobility by providing free devices such as wheelchairs, power chairs and scooters to those who need them in and around the Quinte region.
The foundation’s mission is to equip people with the devices they need to live their lives to the fullest, he said.
“When you think of everything that you do on a day-to-day basis, it all centers around mobility,” Cairns said adding that mobility devices positively impact the lives of those who receive them. We bring a higher degree of quality of life that they’re so deserving of.” Cairns said.
For his part, a photo journalist form Canada, Lucas Wiseman who reached the highest peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m ASL) explained that; “I had a spirit of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro long time ago that’s why I succeed and made it to Uhuru Peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 m ASL) under great assistance from professional mountain guides from ZARA Tours, and I’m now planning to climb other highest mountains of the World for charity as we did..” he explained cheerfully.

According to him, scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro to the highest peak is way of fulfilling his dream of helping the needy people worldwide being the first young Tanzanian to scale and reach the highest peaks of the highest mountains in different continents of the world famously known as ‘Seven Summits’.
As Wiseman recalls it was around 4:55 a.m. on August 7, 2016 after a breath taking 2 and half hour slow walk from Stella Point that he managed to reach Uhuru Peak, 5,895 meters, above sea level.

“For some seconds I totally forgot that I came along with my friend John Cairns, then some 20 minutes or so later turning I saw him going down from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and told that he reached Gilman’s point. We both made it!”

She recollected that was the culmination of “our nine day Mt. Kilimanjaro climb” through the tough Rongai route that to him still seems like a dream. “Reaching Uhuru peak was a dream come true but the actual climb is a long episode that one’s need to grow old first to forget,” he noted.

Choosing to Climb with MKPS Kilimanjaro

we understand that a very significant factor in the decision of many adventurers to climb Kilimanjaro with us is that we control everything directly ourselves, not relying on any middlemen or local tour operators to dilute the integrity of sometimes very sensitive and specific information as it passes down through the chain of command. Consequently, our climbers expect near-perfect communication between management and our staff on the ground on Kilimanjaro, and swift and ready access to information pertaining to all aspects to their booking. While we believe that the nature of Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society's (MKPS) operational structure affords us a very great advantage in this sense, we would however, like to caution climbers that they should please understand the limitations of the hardware that we use on Kilimanjaro, and – more significantly – the limitations of the cellular network provider to supply consistent signal across the mountain. With such concerns in mind, we would suggest that while climbers may rightly expect MKPS to enjoy the highest standards of communication realistically available, we regret that such are the objective limitations that lie outside our control, that climbers should certainly not base their decision to climb with us on the assumption that we will unfailingly be capable of providing photographs of their climb sent in live-time direct from the mountain on every day of their climb.

For family and friends of a climber it can be worrying to imagine them struggling against altitude, the elements, and objective risks associated with climbing a mountain, and to have no information or updates about how they are faring.

From being a Porter to a Professional Guide

My name is Sylivester Modest, I was born at Mpanda Katavi, I completed my primary education at Usevya school at Mpanda in 1995,I was selected to join secondary education in 1996 at mamba  secondary school  mpanda .complete my secondary education in 1999, I was not able to proceed with advance education because of low income and no one was there to support me in my education and my father has no job so I didn’t go back to school. My family deals with small business to support   our family, in our family I’m the only child who was able to reach secondary school, my brother my sister and my twin sister they also deals with small business.  Due to the low living standard of our family I decide to find a job at Zara Tours as a Mount Kilimanjaro Porter in 2000,I did the job for 6 years, later on I after saving the money I choose to go back to school and proceed with Mountaineering Course ( Tour Guide) from Kilimanjaro National Park Guides Training in 2006 .after finished the training  I decided to look for another job at ZARA TOURS in 2006 as an assistant guide, and I was hired,  My guide was Yohana he cooperated with me, and my first route with him was mount meru, and I proceed well  doing other job with him.  I am thankful to ZARA tours director ZAINAB  ANSELL for supporting me  especially by giving  me  job which helps me to  be able to stand as a man and I’m able to assist my family and to fulfill  my personal needs and my family needs  such as food, shelter, hospital bills.