INDY WOMAN TO CLIMB KILIMANJARO FOR NEGST/AIU PROJECT

She calls herself an ordinary person but after a visit to Kenya last November, Cheryl Cleveland realized she could really make a difference in Africa and not just be a tourist.

However, it would require climbing the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro, located on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. Cheryl will join a group of Canadian women climbing it this coming January on a charity fundraising trek. The goal of each participant is to raise $50,000 for the construction of a community and women's center at Africa International University in Nairobi, Kenya (formerly known as NEGST). The center will be named for Leah Ngini, a Kenyan educator, former NEGST trustee, and an admired woman in Nairobi because of her leadership.

It takes five days to hike up Kilimanjaro and four to come down so you have to be in good shape. There will be snow at the top and you will be over 19,000 feet above sea level and likely to experience altitude sickness. Climbers pass through six temperate zones. Visit the outfitters' websites for this trek, tusker.com and wowsafaris.

Cheryl began training for the climb in April. A pharmacist at Walgreen's, she raised three children as a single mother and former school teacher. As a young girl, she traveled overseas with her family--her father was a sales representative for Elanco, a sub-division of Eli Lilly--and developed a global perspective. Problems in one part of the world affect everyone else, she realized, but so can the investment of resources by people here.

The center at NEGST/AIU is one of those strategic investments for Cheryl. The building which will cost about $2 million to complete will house services and meeting places for not only women and their families at Africa International University, but also women in surrounding communities. Educated and empowered women leaders are the key to the church and to societies in Africa. On her trip to Kenya last year, Cheryl met women at the school who "touched her heart" and from whom she received so much that she returned home "determined to be of service somehow."

How do you raise $50,000 if you don't have many rich friends? Cheryl is counting on many small donors like herself, the grassroots or as she prefers, the Body of Christ. "I'm asking 2500 people to give $20," she says, "the cost of a meal at a restaurant. We have our own financial challenges right now, but we can help even in a small way."

Cheryl can be found on Facebook and she is available for speaking engagements as she seeks support for her project. Contributions can be made online--click DONATE below--or sent by check to:

Christian Leaders for Africa,
P.O. Box 1642,
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(mark Kili Climb on check).