A mountain to climb
This spring, Antonella Nizzola and Noreen Gobeille, counsellors with Concordia’s Career and Placement Services, are heading to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest mountain, to raise money for the 160 Girls Project, an initiative that aims to achieve justice for and to protect girls in Kenya from being raped.
“We want to raise awareness of Kenya’s rampant rape problem, especially for young women and minors,” Nizzola explains after wrapping up a TV interview with CBC’s Debra Arbec (Nizzola was recently named CBC’s Montrealer of The Week).
Nizzola’s life changed after watching a mini-documentary on the 160 Girls Project. Organized by a non-profit organization of human rights advocates called Equality Effect, the project aims to empower and help Kenyan women and girls. Human rights groups estimate a woman is raped every 30 minutes in the developing country, often by members of their own community or family.
“I was inspired and I wanted to do something to help make a difference, but I didn’t know how,” says the career counsellor. Five days later, everything fell into place. “Out of the blue, my colleague Noreen asks me if I’d like to go to Tanzania with her to attend her niece’s wedding at the foothills of Kilimanjaro,” she recounts. “The wheels started turning and I put two and two together … and all of a sudden we’re weeks away from the climb.”
Nizzola and Gobeille plan to leave Canada Friday, March 30 and begin climbing between April 3 and 11.
Nizzola has been training hard for the trek to the top of Africa, including regular workouts at Concordia’s PERFORM Centre. “Noreen is lucky because she’s in great physical shape, but I started practising by hiking up Mont Royal,” says Nizzola who is confident she’ll reach the top despite facing extreme weather conditions and altitude sickness.
With the help of a colleague, the duo will put together a mini-documentary to be used for presentations as a way to inspire students. Nizzola says much of what’s driving her and Gobeille forward is the fact that they can engage Concordia students to follow their own causes. “Concordia is a great university for socio-political activism.”
So far, Nizzola and Gobeille have raised more than $10,000 for the 160 Girls project. Those who wish to contribute can do so through the Equality Effect website. Donors are asked to earmark their donations to Antonella and Noreen’s Mission in the message box provided.
“Our climb is self-financed and all donations we receive will benefit the 160 Girls Project,” Nizzola says. “We would like to express a heartfelt thank you to our supporters and our donors for their kind words of encouragement, donations, and blessings for a victorious journey to the top of Kilimanjaro.”
David Adelman is a student blogger with Concordia’s University Communications Services.
Related links:
• 160 Girls Project
• CBC’s Montrealer of the Week