Phoenix Design Aid takes part in The Big Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to confront vaccine injustice

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Photo: Takashi Muramatsu.

Danish design and communication agency, Phoenix Design Aid, is pleased to announce their partnership with The Big Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro for vaccine justice. The Big Climb is an event being run by the Kilimanjaro Initiative. 34 climbers will climb Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, to raise awareness of, and funds for, the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

From 19 – 25 October, an elite group of accomplished athletes will join leading politicians, United Nations officials, academics and youth leaders in a high-profile advocacy climb of Africa’s highest peak to raise funds for and awareness of the need for the more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The climb, organized by the Kilimanjaro Initiative, plans to reach the summit on United Nations Day, 24 October. Director of the Kilimanjaro Initiative, Tim Challen, said that the group this year partnered with other organizations to bring attention to the challenge of “vaccine justice” and vaccine hesitancy across the Global South.

Phoenix Design Aid’s PDAid Foundation is a crucial partner of the climb. Founder of PDAid Foundation and CEO of Phoenix Design Aid, Dennis Lundoe Nielsen, believes that the climb is most important now more than ever:

“Solidarity is extremely vital in the fight against COVID-19. In order to achieve vaccine justice, we must work together and raise funds to a fairer fight against the global pandemic. I believe the Big Climb is a great platform to support and discuss these important issues,” said Dennis Lundoe Nielsen, Founder of the PDAid Foundation and CEO of Phoenix Design Aid.

Funds raised will be donated directly to the African Union COVID-19 Response Fund and Go Give One (managed by the WHO Foundation) to support the supply of COVID-19 vaccines. A donation of $5 USD results in a vaccine dose for one person.

PDAid Foundation supports 10 Tanzanian and Kenyan Youth
Through support from the PDAid Foundation and the Kilimanjaro Initiative, 10 Tanzanian and Kenyan youth will participate in the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. While on the climb, CEO of Phoenix Design Aid, Dennis Lundoe Nielsen, will select all enthusiastic youth to take part in the PDAid Foundation mentoring programme. Through the programme, mentees will receive educational, personal and financial support, whilst also working one-on-one with experienced mentors who will help them to become agents of positive change in their communities and the globe.

Support for the Sustainable Development Goals
The Big Climb also directly supports 11 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This commitment to the SDGs is especially important to Phoenix Design Aid. The company was the first design and communications agency to be certified in the SDGs, specifically through its contributions to 11 targets within SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals.

Ingrid Beutler, Founder of the Geneva-based Beutler International Sports Advisory, did a sustainability assessment of The Big Climb and said it is contributing directly to nine of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“For example, the climb is coordinated by Marangu Hotel, one of the largest employers in Marangu, providing employment for their family of employees and the mountain guides and porters with whom they work in the Kilimanjaro region. More than 800 people linked with the climb will directly benefit from its financial impact in a region that has suffered greatly due to lack of tourism,” said Ingrid Beutler, Founder of Beutler International Sports Advisory.

The Big Climb supports:

  • SDG 1: No Poverty
  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13: Climate Action
  • SDG 15: Life on Land
  • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

About Kilimanjaro Initiative
The Kilimanjaro Initiative organizes an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro every year – also known as The Kilimanjaro Climb. The Kilimanjaro Initiative focuses on offering young people self-development classes to enable them to change their lives and become positive change agents in their communities.

About The Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by world heads of state and governments at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 25th of October 2015. The SDGs were put into force on 1 January 2016 and must be met by 2030 in order to set us on course for a more sustainable development for both people and the planet we live on. Read more about the SDGs here.

For further information please contact:

  • Dennis Lundoe Nielsen, founder of the PDAid Foundation, tel. (+45) 21 41 09 06
    and e-mail: dn@pdaidfoundation.org

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