Three members of the IMEX sales and marketing team are about to tackle a far bigger mountain than any sales challenge could offer. The trio will leave office comforts behind next month [14^th - 20^th October] to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the UNICEF Emergency Appeal Fund for the children of Darfur in Sudan.

Carina Bloom, Marketing and Operations Director, Jon Bradshaw, Sales Manager, and Nikki Williams, Director of Hosted Buyer Programmes, will set off just prior to the ICCA Annual Conference in Cape Town for the gruelling six-day climb in an effort to raise £1 for every foot of the vast Tanzanian mountain, a target of at least £20,000.

They will be joined by Tanja Knecht of Maritz GmbH, James Wyndham of Jumeirah International, Philippe Maree from the Belgium Tourist Office and Joel Crossland of Africa Reps.

The team will be covering all their own costs so that every penny raised will go directly to UNICEF’s appeal fund.

Says Carina, “Even small amounts can make an enormous difference - for just 50p three children can be immunised with a measles vaccine and £3,300 will buy one complete emergency health kit, containing medicines, medical supplies and basic medical equipment for a population of 10,000 for three months.”

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak.  It towers over Tanzania at 20,000 ft (5,800m) and the taxing climb has been described by previous climbers as somewhere between murderous and backbreaking.

If you’d like to support the IMEX team’s efforts with a donation, please visit: www.imex-frankfurt.com . All support is gratefully received.

Editor’s notes on Darfur, Sudan:
-  Over one million people have fled their homes in the conflict affected Darfur region of Sudan in recent months. They are now living in makeshift camps, where food, water and basic sanitation are in short supply and the situation remains desperate.

-  UNICEF is currently providing clean water for up to 445,000 persons through rehabilitation of hand pumps, construction of new water facilities and water tinkering; as well as supporting a mass measles immunisation campaign that has already reached 2 million children. 

-  Despite these achievements, more resources are desperately needed to step up life-saving initiatives across the region.