Scaling the heights of Mt. Kenya for the health and well-being of young people

 Nine Kenyan students, four girls and five boys, are preparing for a new challenge: to scale the heights of Mount Kenya . To prepare for this challenge, they climbed  the stratovolcano Mount Longonot on Saturday May 28, 2022. This initiative is part of the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our, Our Future (O3 Plus) Programme that was launched at University of Nairobi and at Mount Kenya University by UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa.

For a successful ascension, towards Mount Kenya Lenana Point at 4985 meters above sea level, the students enrolled in April 2022 to a rigorous program of six preparatory hikes to ensure they will be well acclimatized to the high altitudes. This took them through Mt. Kilimambogo and Kijabe Hills, on 14th May and on 30th April, respectively. They are now preparing for Mt. Longonot, Elephant hill, Satima-Dragon's Teeth, Mackinder's Quest and finally Mt. Kenya on 14th – 17th July 2022. They are taking in their backpack the vision of the O3 Plus Programme where all adolescents and young people will attain positive health, education, and gender equality outcomes.

This fitness challenge aims to create awareness on health and well-being among young people in higher and tertiary education institutions in Kenya particularly by developing their skills, knowledge, attitudes, and competencies required for preventing HIV, reducing early and unintended pregnancies, and eliminating gender-based violence.

Mount Kenya is a significant landmark in the country owing to its long association with freedom. After independence in 1963, the Kenyan flag was symbolically hoisted at Point Lenana. A copy of the Kenya Constitution 2010 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are deposited at the same point Lenana further demonstrating the significance of this mountain.

The bold step by the nine students to scale the heights for health on behalf of young people and draw the attention of the country to the needs of young people is commendable. Healthy young people with resilience and capacity to reach their full potential is an asset if Kenya is to reap from her demographic dividend. As she braced the hot sun during the Kilimambogo hike that took place on 30th April 2022, Lucy Gathoni, a student of business studies, remarked that “It is so sad that girls in my campus experience gender-based violence and think this is the norm”

From her side while surmounting the Kijabe Hill on 14th May 2022, Jane Mirigo, a bachelor of arts student shared that “Parents need to provide financial support to their children while in university to protect them from unhealthy behaviours”. She noted “Some girls end up dating older men to get money but are abandoned immediately they become pregnant or acquire HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases”.

Speaking from the high grounds, the inspiring students are sharing their experiences through multiple social media platforms that resonates with young people and keeping the conversation with their peers on health and well-being. A high-level Mt. Kenya climb flag-off event is scheduled to take place on July 13, 2022 at the University of Nairobi, 

Mental issues have increased exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among the youth, with physical inactivity considered as a parallel pandemic, contributing to five million premature deaths annually. A rise in mental health problems among the youth in institutions of higher learning correlates with a decline in physical and social activities. Although the society is increasingly learning about the importance of physical activity for social, physical, cognitive and emotional skills, the young people in institutions of higher learning have been left out. Climbing Mont Kenya, which is the second-highest mountain in Africa, will thus be a symbol of the heights young people are willing to scale, the lengths they will walk to promote health and wellbeing among young people in institutions of higher learning.

Contact:

For more information and media requests, please contact Jane Kamau j.kamau@unesco.org +254722617476 WhatsApp or Florence Danner f.danner@unesco.org

Web:

Visit the website https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/nairobi

Follow #MtKenyaHike or #MtKenyaStudentHike on social media

More information:

O3 Plus supports Health and well-being at University of Nairobi and Mount Kenya University

To promote health and well-being of Student, University of Nairobi and Mount Kenya University are currently implementing the O3 Plus pilot project in their 10 and 1 campuses respectively. Higher and tertiary education institutions are home to a large number of sexually active young adults. They are vulnerable to sexual and reproductive health and rights related concerns and risks as they navigate new responsibilities, relationships, and experiences on their own and in unfamiliar settings. Negative sexual and reproductive health and rights outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), immediately affect students’ well-being and can cause disruptions in educational attainment, career progression and life goals, ultimately limiting the potential of this critical human capital to contribute towards national development and leadership.

O3 Plus Mont Kenya Hike: May to July 2022

The objective of the Mont Kenya Hike is to increase awareness on the issues affecting the health and well-being of young people in tertiary and higher education institutions. It will help to enhance the health and wellbeing of young people as envisioned by a symbol of the heights that will be scaled, and the lengths to be walked. Prior to the climb, 9 students are going through extensive preparations, which include hiking hills and mountains by a professional service provider to ensure they have acclimatized to high altitudes and have built resilience. They already climbed Kilimambogo hill on 14th May on 30th April, Kijabe hill on 14th May. They are climbing Mount Longonot on May 28^th. This will then take them, Elephant hill on June 11^th, Mackinder's Quest on June 25^th Satima Dragon’s Teeth on 9th July, and , and finally Mount Kenya on 14th – 17th July 2022.