Enda O’Doherty plans to carry a Beko washing machine to the summit of Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in July to rise funds for Pieta House. The Waterford man aims to spread a positive mental health message through the symbolism of carrying a heavy hidden load and to bring awareness to the importance of asking for help and ‘sharing the load’.
O’Doherty’s challenge is threefold, to raise awareness that it is okay not to be okay and ask for help; two, to raise funds for Pieta House and three, to climb to the top of Kilimanjaro. The size of the task ahead is incredible but he has achieved similar washing machine-carrying feats by climbing Slievenamon (721m) and walking 379ks from Belfast to Waterford.
But Kilimanjaro (5896m) is not only Africa’s highest point, but is also the world’s highest free standing mountain. Kilimanjaro is a crater known as Kibo, over 2km wide with several distinct cones, the highest being Uhuru Peak. Towering over 4,500m above the Rift Valley, O’Doherty aims to get to the summit with a 40kg Beko washing machine on his back.
For more on O’Doherty’s Beko challenge visit http://pieta-challenge-2017.everydayhero.do/
