Jashmin Patel is climbing Kilimanjaro to raise vital funds for Imkaan
October 11, 2018
Jashmin Patel, Imkaan’s Sustainability Co-ordinator is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Imkaan. Leah Cowan, Imkaan’s Policy and Communications Coordinator spoke to Jashmin the day before she began her ascent up the mountain.
"Imkaan has been my life for such a long time; it has been a journey for me. It is a personal challenge, and Imkaan is also part of my personal sense of self. Imkaan is a place, an organisation, a people and the members it serves; the people who are connected to it, and the people who love Imkaan, and all of that is important to me. People are interested in why I’m doing the climb, and rather than just saying “I’m doing it because I’m turning 30”, I’m talking about Imkaan and making people aware of this part of me and what Imkaan does.
It feels like an important time politically because of what is happening out there in the world: it’s so brutal, so hostile, xenophobic, racist, and anti-immigrant. There is so much violence across the world, and it feels like it is now more than ever so vital that Imkaan exists. We know that because our members come to us with their struggles, and we support them."
Click here to read the full interview, and here to donate to Jashmin’s climb.