Climbing Island Peak

The Sharadas Shelter is one of the most beloved projects within the project Dreams of Kathmandu. It is located south of the capital, and is managed in an exemplary manner by the couple Milan and Sharadas. In all, fourteen children between the ages of eight and eighteen live in this place: Ajita, Aashika, Pabitra, Sapana, Anjali, Sabina, Salome, Lok, Rupendra, Kunsu, Bigyan, Samuel, Sajan, Prakash. Seven girls and seven boys, respectively.

Each of these children represents a tremendous source of inspiration to me. Most come from highly unfavourable backgrounds. Homes destroyed by domestic violence, hunger and alcoholism, among other scourges. These kids weren't as lucky as us. Some were abandoned by their families and spent their childhoods in farm fields, brick factories or washing dishes in restaurants.

However, I never heard them complaining. On the contrary, they smile honestly, are always willing to help others, and eager to learn more. I am so proud of the character of these children. That is why, year after year, I make efforts to fund the education, clothing and nutrition of this group of kids. They deserve the world.

Currently, the annual expenses of the Sharadas Shelter amount to €10,000. Therefore, I need to find donors and sources of funding, so that they never run out of food on the table or school supplies in their backpacks. Raising this amount is an effort that I accept with sincerity. I do not give up or turn my back on responsibility. Otherwise, these children will have nothing to eat and will see their dreams shattered into a thousand pieces.

When in 2019, the director of the orphanage, Milan Pariyar, asked me for help to finish rebuilding the structure that houses the institution, my response could not have been more obvious: “Let's do it!” Milan needed €3,000 to paint the building, and install the water pipes and electrical wires. Those were the priorities, but if we could find some extra donations, we would also buy some beds, cabinets and thermal panels to heat the water.

By this time, I was already feeling the fever of mountaineering, and decided that the time had come to climb a higher peak. This is how, after the trek across India, the second Humanitarian Adventure was born: climbing Island Peak in the Himalayas, 6,165 metres, and raising enough funds to rebuild the Sharadas Shelter.

It was a journey of epic proportions, that lasted two weeks. I was a beginner in mountaineering and had never been above six thousand metres in altitude. I didn't know how to tie a knot in a rope or to attach the crampons on my boots. Fortunately, everything went well. On the night of the summit attack, I left the tent at midnight accompanied by my guide and, in total darkness, we only reached the top of the mountain seven hours later.

It was the first time I had been at such high altitudes, crossed crevasses, and climbed frozen ravines dozens of metres high. In the end, the fundraising was an overwhelming success. In total, more than four thousand euros were collected, which allowed not only the orphanage to be rebuilt, but also to be equipped with various equipment such as furniture and solar panels.