Donegal mountaineer Jason Black is taking on a weekly fast to raise funds for a school construction project in Kilimanjaro.
The Letterkenny athlete, and former Donegal Person of the Year, is going without food every Friday for the month of December in a bid to raise €7,000. The funds raised will be used to complete a classroom at a school he has been working on for a number of years.
The mission was sparked by Jason’s world travels and experiences of seeing young people being denied an education because of a lack of facilities, funding and government support.
Jason has led expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro a number of times and strives to undertake humanitarian work while on each adventure. The school project, he said, is critically important in the economic growth of the young community and empowering young people to control their direction in life.
“We take our education for granted. The education system in Africa is so difficult. Financially the government have walked away from supporting this particular village,” he said.
“It’s all down to the persistence and resources of the locals to try and develop the physical aspects of the school, the construction and employment of a teacher.”
Jason said that the school will host 80 pupils, and he is committed to finishing the project next year.
He said his sponsored fast is “very insignificant” in comparison to the hardship the people of Kilimanjaro face daily.
“These people fast or do without food every second day,” he said.
“The fast is a small gesture to encourage you to please support the fund.
“I’m conscious we are living in a difficult economic world but let’s see if we can make a difference.”
To donate to the GoFundMe campaign please visit: https://gofund.me/616c295a
