Written by DeAnna Britton, Relate Contributing Writer
On the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, 19,340 feet above sea level, stand Kenna, Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold, Isabel Lucas, Elizabeth Gore, Alexandra Cousteau, Kick Kennedy and more as they try to raise awareness for the clean water crisis the world is facing.
The 90-minute documentary of the climb will be aired on MTV March 14th at 9pm ET/PT.
The climb took place in January 2010. The people who climbed overcame many obstacles in order to reach the top such as rain, snow, hail, wind, illnesses, altitude changes and other conditions. The documentary will not only focus on the climb but also on the importance of clean water and the issues that communities face because of the lack of clean water.
Kenna, the person responsible for the expedition, had a personal reason for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro because his own father was affected by water-borne illnesses when he was a child in Ethiopia. In the press release, Kenna said, “When I was younger, my dad pointed out Kilimanjaro on a huge atlas. It stood in my mind as one of the wonders of the world. This climb is dedicated to my father. As a child in Ethiopia, he lost his brother and lost his friends and family to water-borne diseases. A billion people in the world don’t have clean water. I had to do something about it. For me it’s personal. I could have been one of those kids. I needed to come up with something that would command attention. And the only thing I could think of that was that massive was climbing Kilimanjaro.”
Not only did the climb and documentary help raise awareness for the clean waters of the world, but also raised money for P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Water for People’s PlayPumps Technology.
For more information about the climb and the documentary, visit Summit on the Summit. Here’s the documentary preview:
Watching this documentary will open the eyes of people all around the world. This crisis is not going away without a fight. It’s up to people like us to help make a difference in the quality of water around the world. The massive mountain is a symbol of how big the problem of not having clean water is. Help by donating clean water, money, your time and efforts. You’re a part of this fight and it will make a difference. Don’t forget to watch March 14th at 9pm.
Tags: clean water crisis, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, documentary, Emile Hirsch, global awareness, Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, Mount Kilimanjaro, Summit on the Summit, water in Africa
