Sharjah girls to climb Africa’s highest mountain

Nine young ladies from Sharjah, all under 18 years of age, will be on one of the world’s most daring mountain adventure in late Aug.  It’s the second time Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah (SYL), is organising a mountaineering expedition – this time to Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro – in a bid to instil strong physical and mental capabilities in their young members. 

Around the same time last year, the first group of SYL climbers successfully summitted the highest peak in the Atlas range, Mount Toubkal in Morocco. Among the climbers was 13-year-old Asma Al Qaidi, who became the youngest Emirati female to have achieved such a feat.

As part of a rigorous training programme designed for the upcoming 10-day climb, SYL brought in successful mountaineers to share first-hand experiences to heighten the young ladies’ knowledge about the terrain and environmental conditions they will be navigating during the climb, and boost their confidence and leadership skills.

These talks have been presented by the region’s renowned mountaineering experts including Sultan Al Obaidli from Sharjah Sports Council (SSC); Emirati Engineer Adnan Abdulrahman, who summitted Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the Climate Heroes Team in 2017; and an Abu Dhabi Police team who successfully scaled the African peak in 2018.

Sheikha Aisha Khalid Al Qasimi, Director of SYL, has highlighted that these one-to-one sessions have played a key role in preparing the group with a wealth of first-hand insights about what to expect and how to overcome obstacles they will face. She also lauded the cooperation and support of SSC, and thanked their Secretary General Issa Hilal Al Hazami for his presence at the SSC session.

The nine members of this Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators subsidiary will be undertaking this historic climb from Aug 21 – 31.

The climb is supported by Sharjah Police Academy, Logistics Sponsor; Tilal Properties (Silver Sponsor); Sharjah Sports Council (Bronze Sponsor); and Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (Official Media Sponsor).

The activity falls under SYL’s adventure club, founded in 2016 with the slogan ‘To the Furthest Limit,’ to promote physical and mental endurance,teamwork, leadership and independence. Sajaya’s members use this space to undergo weekly training sessions.

Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah is dedicated to developing the talents of girls aged 13 to 18 years in all creative spheres. Established in 2004 under the umbrella of Sharjah Children’s Centres, it became an independent entity in 2012 following an administrative decree from Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) and Chairperson of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators.

Early this month SYL began a summer programme  themed ‘Nurturing Talents.’ The month-long programme that will run till Aug 8, has interesting opportunities for all its participants in the area of language, sports, arts, social etiquette, cooking, music, and more.

Sajaya’s summer programme also features interactive events and recreational trips, all designed to help girls and young ladies discover new talents and nurture them through the hands-on experiences offered in the following programmes.

The arts programme features different forms of art like drawing, painting, photography, installation and sculpture. It will enable the girls to explore arts and help them discover and develop their talents, in addition to better understand the human and aesthetic values of a community that live through art.

This programme is in line with Sajaya’s motto to introduce girls and young women to global cultures.

 The Japanese language course at summer programme will be delivered through specialised workshops and strengthen participants’ Japanese language skills as well as their knowledge of this rich far-eastern culture.