Kilimanjaro Clothing Bank Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Porter's Assistance Program
Porters in Nepal, Africa and South America are still suffering exposure, frostbite and even death as a result of not being properly clothed for the high altitudes to which they climb. In order to feed themselves and their families, they take on the job of carrying heavy loads to high elevations without warm clothes and sometimes without shoes! Whether you are traveling as an individual or with us, the Porter Assistance Project needs your help to assist Porters internationally.

Aren't Porters Adjusted to the Cold and Altitude?
The majority of porters are not like the famous Sherpas who carry loads at altitude for foreign climbing expeditions - they are impoverished subsistance farmers who travel from lower elevations to trekking and expedition routes in search of work. Like trekkers and climbers, many porters suffer from altitude sickness, hypothermia, snow blindness, and frostbite. For example:A porter was paid one days wage and sent down alone after suffering severe altitude sickness in the Everest region. He was found in a state of collapse and brought to the Pheriche Aid Post, spent nine days in a coma, and had both feet partially amputated due to frostbite.Three porters, lacking proper clothing for a late season storm, died of hypothermia related causes when a powerful storm hit Mount Kilimanjaro in September 2002. One of the porters, suffering from the cold along the Machame camping route, decided to descend the mountain on his own. His body was later found at 12,630 feet, between the Shira and Baranco camps.

How you can Help 'Carry the Load'
Donate Clothing for the Porters: please contact us if you can donate suitable clothing. Clean, good-condition footwear or clothing needed for porters. Synthetic/wool clothes only, no jeans or T-shirts please. We also need airplane-sized duffel bags for transporting the gear donation overseas.

For our clothing collection we need wool socks, hiking shoes, wool or warm hats (no baseball hats), gloves, sunglasses, water and wind resistant jackets and pants, and heavy weight fleece jackets and pants. We can use all sizes. Most porters have the gear they need at the lower altitudes, they have a need for the clothing at higher altitudes and colder weather. A good way to gauge: if you would wear it at high altitudes or in the colder areas to hike or trek, a porter would too. Clean gear only please, no cotton clothing or t-shirts.Carry clothing to Nepal or Tanzania: The Porter project is always looking for people and companies who will carry clothing to Nepal and Africa, please contact us if you know anyone who can help. You will be met at the airport by a representative - and gain a ride to your hotel into the bargain.