A group of Canadian financial advisors will embark on an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro next year, in an effort to raise funds for a Tanzania-based organization that rescues children off the streets.

Participants are currently being recruited for the trip to Africa, which will run from June 30 to July 16, 2011. The trip will feature a 10-day climb up Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa – guided by experienced climbers.

Organizers hope to recruit between 10 and 20 financial advisors to participate.

Each participant will seek sponsors for the trek, with a goal of raising at least $5,000 each. All of the money raised will go towards Friends of Amani Canada, a charity that supports the Tanzania-based Amani Children’s Home. Located at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, Amani rescues children off the streets in Tanzania, provides them with a place to live, nutritious meals, medical care and an education.

“Not only is this a shelter to help kids get off the street – it provides them with an education and a brighter future,” says Rose Cammareri, executive vice-president of retail distribution at AGF Investments Inc., who is spearheading the trip and participating in the climb herself. She was motivated to participate by the cause behind it.

She’s confident that the fundraising effort will be successful: “Through our networks of friends, colleagues, business associates…I think everyone’s going to be able to raise a lot more than the minimum of $5,000.”

Already, more than 30 people have shown interest in the climb, which is a positive sign, according to Dan Richards, president of ClientInsights, who co-chairs an annual fundraising dinner in Toronto for Friends of Amani Canada that has raised $250,000 in the past three years.

“Our goal is to make this an annual event,” he says.

The climb is run by Tusker Trail, a U.S.-based travel company that specializes in Kilimanjaro climbs. Although the climb can be completed in fewer than 10 days, the extra time allows climbers to more gradually adapt to the higher altitude. Although Kilimanjaro is not as physically challenging to climb as other mountains its size, many climbers struggle with altitude sickness.

“What makes it difficult is that altitude,” says Richards. “By taking more time, people have a chance to acclimatize.”

More than 90% of the climbers that have participated in Tusker Trail’s guided climbs have made it to the top.

The climb costs about $7,000 to $8,000 per person, which includes airfare, accommodations, meals, park fees and the cost of the climb.

An information session on the climb is taking place on Monday, Dec. 6 at AGF Management’s offices in Toronto. For individuals elsewhere, another information session will take place via conference call later in December.

IE