Uhuru Peak. Freedom Peak.

When I discovered Uhuru was Swahili for “Freedom”, I could not think of a more perfect word to sum up this journey. At 5896 meters, Uhuru Peak is the highest point on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the true summit of the roof of Africa. I’m happy to say that several days ago, our whole team stood together on this very summit. More importantly, I’m happy to say that each of us is walking away from this having had an incredible and positive life experience. And neither of these things could have been achieved without the selflessness and genuine concern for each other’s well being that was brought to the table by all.

This is truly one of the best teams I have had the pleasure to be a part of, and I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to share this experience with such a remarkable group. It’s amazing how when you have a clear idea of what you want, and you put it out to the world, it can act as a beacon bringing like-minded people together around a common cause.

What started for me as a journey to climb a mountain, has taught me that there’s nothing more important and empowering than friendship. The other thing it taught me is that you never know who you may inspire along the way, no matter how trivial an action may seem. Thank you to all those who supported our cause, and thank you to the youth I have come to know in Power To Be’s ‘family’ - thank you for inspiring me. This is just the end of the beginning.

Mike Schauch