Child Sexual Abuse is a rampant problem in India that requires a great deal of attention but unfortunately is still a very taboo topic in India.
When I first started on this project, I received feedback that this is a very sensitive topic that will not attract much support and that I should pick a more popular cause like Environmental issues or Child Education. As I progressed further with my plans, I was often asked to use ‘Child Abuse’ instead of ‘Child Sexual Abuse’ to warm up the idea to my audience. In fact, even people who understand the severity of the problem often explained the same to others in a less straightforward and subtle manner.
Understandably, they are all correct and the culture in India demands a warmer approach but this is precisely the reason why I picked this cause. If I can raise awareness on any issue through my climb, I decided it should be about a problem that is least talked about. Hence, ‘Child Sexual Abuse’.
Precisely, how is the climb benefitting the cause?
There are two objectives that I plan to achieve through the climb – Awareness and Funding for the cause.
Awareness
1) It is not often that someone from the South of India climbs Mount Everest and there has not been a single Indian-Singaporean who has climbed Everest. This combined with the cause makes a great story for the media in both the countries as seen from the exposure this expedition has already got. This gets the message about prevention of ‘Child Sexual Abuse’ to a wide audience.
2) Besides the common media (Print, TV and Radio), the expedition is looking at social media as a strong tool for spreading awareness. Apart from the regular blogs (including live updates during the climb) and social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr) that will attract its own audience, the project has a unique idea of carrying a banner made of individuals photographs to the top of Mount Everest which will get people involved at a more personal level.
3) Climb Everest With Me is also working on a campaign called ‘We are Children’ (www.wearechildren.org) as part of which it will be creating an initiative soon to get a One Million pledges against Child Sexual Abuse which is another great tool to spread awareness.
Funding
1) There are a few organizations (check heading ‘Child Sexual Abuse’ for the organizations supported) already doing great work towards this cause but as with any cause, the fact remains that causes that have better publicity receive better funding. So, the objective of our campaigns is to build a network of more aware individuals and corporates that will provide a more sustainable income to these organizations.
2) Apart from the above, I am hoping to provide some direct funding to these organizations through the climb. A part of the funds raised through the banner and all donations will go to these organizations directly that will assist them in achieving some of their short-term goals.
Many have asked me what’s my training schedule like? So, here is a rough plan of what I have done and what I plan to do for the month of Jan. It is roughly based out of a half-iron man training routine with the swimming replaced by staircase climbing.
I had been running a half-marathon every weekend for the last three weeks but my legs are killing me. So, I decided to distribute my weekend schedule a bit more. Let’s see how it goes and perhaps I can pick it up again next month.
I will explain a bit about each of the specific routines in the upcoming blogs.
It’s been a while since I posted my first blog and for this New Year, the year I hope to reach the top of Mount Everest, I have given myself a new year’s resolution. To commit to blog regularly about my experiences leading up to the Everest climb. From my training activities to the struggle in obtaining sponsorships, I thought I could share with you the efforts that are involved in climbing a mountain like Everest apart from the actual climb itself.
Training for something like Everest can be quite demanding both in terms of time and commitment. I make up the time by cycling/running to and from work and using my lunch hours to go the gym. Commitment on the other hand is a harder one. There are always the lazy days where I just want to take the train to work or go out for lunch with colleagues or even sleep late on a Saturday morning when I should be training instead. I have realized the best way to overcome this is to keep talking to your friends and family about your training routines. Once you tell others that you’re going to do something, there is a good chance you’ll end up doing it, else you just become a guy who is all talk but no action. Applying the same principle, I have decided to put up my training plans and what I have achieved at the beginning and end of every week. And congratulations, YOU, as my blog readers will become the ones to make sure I stick to the routine and not get lazy.
On the sponsorship front, the New Year has come with some good news. I’ve got email commitment from two companies who have agreed to sponsor my climb. Together, it will cover about one-eighth of my climbing costs. I will tell you more about them once their cheque hits my bank account. But, their positive responses have given me the hope to keep on trying.
