Our team got to sit down with Irene and capture the story behind her summit, and what lessons she took from scaling the highest mountain in Africa.
On International Day of Peace, Irene Ishengoma, country leader for Global Peace Women in Tanzania, joined a cadre of peace activists to climb the tallest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilamajaro, to plant the peace dove flag and the sign for Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
We got to catch up with Irene and hear about her trip.
Irene was one of two women on the team, she and Martha Nghambi, director of Global Peace Foundation Tanzania. "I told Martha, I will climb with you, no matter what," shared Irene. The group started out with eight. The two women made it to the summit: Irene made it to Gilman's Peak; Martha to Uhuru Peak.
"I don't think I could have made it if I didn't have passion," shares Irene. For her, it has been a life goal to climb the mountain of her home country, Tanzania. "Many foreigners climb it, but you almost never see a local Tanzanian. And we were doing it for peace."
The trip takes three and a half days. The final leg of the summit starts at Kibo hut. "There is a lot of dust and stones. I was vomiting very bad. The guide told me I could not do it. I didn't listen," recounts Irene. "I took one small step at a time. Like a baby. I told her I was going to make it. No one could tell me, no." Despite her vomiting, Irene made it to Gilman's peak, the first of three peaks leading to the tallest point, Uhuru Peak. She still cries when she thinks about how close Uhuru Peak was. "It was just 2 kilometers." But she is proud she made it to Gilman's. "Next time," she laughs.
"If you know your purpose, if you know as a peacemaker, as a woman, the obstacles won't deny you to reach your goals," reflects Irene. "And, you never know, your journey may open up opportunities that you didn't expect." For Irene and Martha, they were able to directly receive a certificate for climbing Mt. Kilamajaro from the Prime Minister of Tanzania during the International Day of Peace celebrations this year. "Imagine if I gave up if Madam Martha gave up? Imagine if I listened to the weakness inside my body. We didn't, and we did it together. If we embrace teamwork, if we remember our purpose, our love, our great goals, we will reach goals we haven't even dreamed of," reflects Irene.
First Mt. Kilamajaro, next a world of peace for every child, woman and family. A woman with purpose and passion can make anything possible.