15 November 2022

200+ FAs in Tanzania by Climbing for a reason

The Climbing for a Reason organization led by Chilean climber Lucho Birkner and documentary filmmaker Mateo Barrenengoa has managed to conclude a new project in Musoma, Tanzania. As usual, the organization, which chooses an annual international destination, this time traveled to the African country, together with the climber and volunteer Javiera Ayala, to work directly with the Jipe Moyo Center Orphanage, which is located just steps from thousands of rocks of granite never climbed before and that houses more than 60 children of different ages who, for different reasons, were left homeless at an early age.

The idea of CFR is clear, to turn local people into climbers of their own rocks and give them the opportunity to appreciate and take advantage of the environment in which they live. Thus, for two and a half months the organization managed to:

- The construction of an artificial wall for the orphanage.
- Bouldering, sport climbing and yoga workshops (every day during that period).

-Donation of the necessary material for these activities.
- Opening of 15 sports climbing routes (grades between 6a+ and 8c, spare grades)
- Opening of more than 200 boulders of different difficulties. (V1 up to hard projects)
- Donation of 60 bed mattresses and 60 sets of sheets thanks to donations from the international climbing community.
-Allow self-sufficient climbers to climb their own rocks.
- Train two children to carry out climbing workshops on the artificial wall (children who remain with a paid job)
- Creation of a network for volunteers who want to climb and teach at the Orphanage.

"As an organization we are really happy with the result in Musoma, the children are really fanatic, they are climbing to a very high level and are able to visualize and continue opening their own lines. It has been beautiful to see how they have embraced climbing and climbing has embraced them. In addition to seeing it as an economic opportunity for tourism, they clearly see it as an opportunity for healthy living and in connection with their environment, which is very important to us."

Jipe Moyo Center is an orphanage in Musoma, Tanzania that from now on houses the first community of climbers in the country and offers a destination to arrive in this paradise that will undoubtedly give much to talk about in the future, as the potential is infinite and the quality of the unmatched rock. The children of the orphanage and the center itself will be happy to receive climbers who want to volunteer to teach more to the children and those who want to continue developing the area. It should be noted that the place is a dream because in addition to having very good temperatures, it has the famous Lake Victoria at its feet, it is quite cheap and it is very close to the Serengeti National Park, so on rest days, you have to entertain you enough. Climbing for a Reason will be in charge of clarifying any questions and logistical help so that you arrive at your destination without problems, so you can write directly to the IG @climbingforareason.

Practical information:
To get there you must travel to Dar es Salam and take a 20-hour bus or a 2-hour plane to Mwanza. There is also an airport in MUSOMA, so you could go direct. If you arrive in Mwanza, the bus to MUSOMA takes approximately 3 hours. You can also rent a car in Mwanza that will come in quite handy to go from climbing area to area, because although you can stay alone in one and it would be enough, it is full of different sectors that are far from each other. Already in Musoma, you have many accommodation options but we recommend you contact the Orphanage beforehand and offer your support, because if you come for them, the support they will give you will be priceless.
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