25 April 2008

BEIRUT: As soon Kheiry Sammakieh came back from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro last September, he was ready to begin planning another climb. In August, he will be climbing Mt. Elbrus, and like last time, he will be raising money for charities in Lebanon. "I've caught the climbing bug," he said. "Since Kilimanjaro, I've spent a lot of time on the hills between Wales and the Scottish Highlands - the perfect training ground for Elbrus."

At 5,642 meters, Mt. Elbrus is the highest peak on the European continent and is one of the famous seven summits of the world. The mountain is located in the western Russian republics of Karachay-Cherkess and Kabardin-Balkar. 

To prepare for the hike, Sammakieh, 25, and friend, Nicholas Akle, 26, also a Lebanese expatriate residing in London, endured one week of intensive winter mountaineering training in Scotland.

"It was there where we developed and trained with very experienced, record holding mountaineers," he said.

Conditions will be tough for the two men during their eight-day climb. The weather is known to be extremely unpredictable and can change without warning, quickly exposing climbers to hypothermia, pneumonia and frost bite. There are some steep slopes which require the use of ice axes and rope work. The climbers will also be exposed to the dangers of altitude sickness, including hyperventilation, shortness of breath during exertion, a changed breathing pattern at night and sleeplessness.

But Sammakieh believes the adventure will be well worth it, since he and Akle will be climbing to raise funds for three orphanages in Lebanon. So far, $160,000 has been secured from Barclays Capital (the Barclays Group's investment banking division and Sammakieh's employer) for a UK registered charity to rehabilitate three orphanages in Lebanon, one in the North, one in the South and one in Beirut. The orphanages, which asked to remain anonymous, desperately need to renovate their outdated living quarters and classrooms.

Once at the top, the pair will conduct a symbolic financial trade on the Lebanese Stock Exchange and set a new record for the highest transaction of its kind in Europe.

Sammakieh, an investment banker residing in London, had intended to visit Lebanon in July 2006, but his plans were scuttled by the outbreak of the war with Israel that same month. He instead watched in trepidation as the airport closed down, effectively trapping his family and friends in the country.

Sammakieh said he felt helpless as he watched the horrors of that summer unfold. He added that he wanted to help out but didn't know how. He then learned about several young Lebanese expats residing in London who had decided to form a support group. He immediately joined them.

The group became known as Lebanon United, and before long, they were holding many successful fundraising events.

Over the next few months, the group held several fundraising activities, including a poker night, a hike and a football tournament. They also published a book, "A Lost Summer: Postcards from Lebanon." The group raised almost a quarter of a million dollars and channeled these funds toward a variety of humanitarian projects through Lebanon-based organizations, most notably International Medical Corps (IMC).

Last September, five members of the organization, among them Sammakieh, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest point in Africa. They endured five days of intense trekking through rain forest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers, tolerating different temperatures and coping with a 50-percent drop in oxygen levels at the summit.

Throughout their climb, they kept an online blog for friends and family - typing when their frozen fingers could barely move on the keyboard. Finally they reached the top and planted the Lebanese flag on the 5,895-meter summit.

Thanks to various sponsors, the men raised over $300,000 for the rehabilitation of impoverished schools in rural Lebanon. The project, which gained the support of UNICEF and was carried out by IMC, benefited 6,000 children, over 500 teachers and 180,000 members of the local communities (Akkar, Hermel, Baalbek and South Lebanon).

The money raised for climbing Mt. Elbrus will be distributed by a UK-Registered Charity that works with child related cases.

In the meantime, the men have to juggle their full-time jobs and intensive physical exercises aimed at boosting their lung capacity and strengthening their legs before their climb in August.

Sammakieh and Akle will begin their hike on August 4. To learn about the progress of their expedition and efforts to raise funds go to: www.climbforlebanon.com.

Copyright The Daily Star 2008.