FOCUS Hike4Life 2006: Madagascar
A group of 77 hikers spent a week hiking through Isalo National Park in Madagascar.
Pehmaneh Ramji says Eid Namaz in the mountains and playing rasra in the rain were among her favourite experiences She also took part in hikes in Kenya and Kilimanjaro.
"I enjoyed battling the rain, hiking for hours while singing as loud as I could and playing rasra in the rain. It was amazing hiking with people that were there to make a difference, to help communities better prepare for disaster. Eid Namaz on the deck early in the morning while the sun was rising was an incredible experience. The toughest moment had to be when we were leaving Madagascar. Yes, we had participants of ALL ages, participants from different countries, and these were people we've never met before, but after spending just 10 days with them, I felt like I was leaving my family."
Photos
You can find a selection of images from FOCUS Hike4Life 2006: Madagascar below:
An Article on Hike4Life 2006
Transport yourself to a place where warmth radiates around you even in the rain, where you are thousands of miles from home but cannot feel lonely and where with every step you take, you overcome a personal challenge. That is Hike4Life 2006 in Madagascar.
Seventy-seven hikers embarked on this challenge to raise funds for Focus Humanitarian Assistance. During the hike, Jazzmin Jiwa spoke to fellow participants to help recreate the amazing journey...
YOUR footsteps make a heavy crunching sound on the ground. Step after step is echoed by those of a long line of hikers in front and behind you. Too tired to talk, you urge your feet forward and sweat more than you imagined you could. It has been a long day; hiking started at 6am with a tough mountain climb. After six hours, the end must be close. We stop regularly to share nuts and biscuits to replace the sugars and salts our bodies are losing in the oppressive heat. It is not the breathlessness of the mountain climb that afflicts me now, but sheer fatigue.
A ripple of laughter can be heard from up ahead. I cannot tell who it belongs to but can't help breaking into a smile. A few walking ahead suddenly seem to have more spring in their step. To my amazement, they start singing. Songs, I have no idea how, came into their heads in the 40C wilderness of Parc de l'Isalo, located in southern Madagascar and known for its deep canyons and palm-lined oases, with no hint of the life we recognise as normal to be seen.
Floating along the file of hikers, the energy seemed to take the form of some kind of light beam seeping through our bodies and reviving us. There I saw it - the power of positivity, the power of the human spirit, the power of a few dispersing and scattering their energy to the rest, to revive, to rejuvenate, to refresh.
Of the 77 participants who took part in Hike4Life 2006, 23 were from Canada, 17 from the United States, three from France and 34 from the UK. The youngest was 19 and the oldest 66.
Seven days of hiking through Isalo's wind-sculpted rocks, adorned with brightly coloured lichens and across grassy plains surrounded by sandstone cliffs, started with two days of heavy rain. The President of the Ismaili Council for the Malagasy Republic claimed in his welcome speech that the conditions, typical of England and parts of Canada, had been flown in specially to make us feel at home. It was, in fact, a tropical cyclone called Bondo affecting weather in the area.
The conditions meant after just one night, hikers were moved from tents into a motel as the campsites became waterlogged. While the weather presented new challenges each day, ways to encourage and motivate each other developed.
Alamako meaning "to clap" would make the group break out in four claps. Avereno, "to clap again" would elicit 10 claps and Atambaro, "together once" would evoke a single clap. These Malagasy words were taught to us by the guides who became our trusted friends and a source of strength. But these chants were adopted by Hike participants as was our cheer taken on by them. Simpler, ours was HIKE! followed by FOR LIFE!, which as the days went on became a little more cultured and progressed to LA MARCHE! POUR LA VIE! In the same way songs were shared and taught, smiles and words exchanged with warmth and friendliness ever present.
The surreal nature of the challenge meant most were pushed outside their comfort zones into a place slightly foreign if not totally alien. If not by the physical challenge, then by being thrown into a new cultural environment and routine, or just bearing the intense heat. But it seemed to bring out the expression of true characters, of a generosity and kindness that can only come from deep within your personal truth.
Holding onto a spirit of compassion and humility could not have been more apt for a challenge we ultimately took on to aid the efforts of Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an international emergency response agency providing humanitarian relief, assistance and disaster risk management for vulnerable communities, primarily in the developing world.
Madagascar was chosen for the 2006 hike because FOCUS has worked there in the past, and because of the strong support available from the local Jamat who were formidable hosts to the group. In March 2004, cyclone Gafilo rendered more than 200,000 people in Northern Madagascar homeless. FOCUS transported provisions, educational and healthcare support materials to some of the most remote regions by truck, boat and helicopters.
Hike4Life 2006 raised over $500,000 for FOCUS and in his closing speech at the hikers' farewell dinner, FOCUS Europe Board Member Shahed Karim rounded up the significance of our feat: "It was all worthwhile. The efforts of a few will make a difference to many.
Quotes from participants..
What Hike4Life meant to me..
"What really touched me was from start to finish we had people helping us at every step of the way, people opening up their hearts for us."
Natasha Shamji, 29, London, UK
"The trip had all the ingredients to make it wonderful and even the pouring rain could not change that Rasra at 11pm in the middle of nowhere and playing cards until midnight in the dining hall. It would take me forever to list all the memories that make me so happy to have taken part in this 'Marche pour la vie'."
Khatidja Mandjee, 21, Paris, France.
"Reciting Eid Namaz with the mountains in the background - that's an Eid I'll never forget."
Iqbal Dhanji, 41, Surrey, UK
"It was one of the best New Year's I have ever had. Have you ever been in a room where you can wish more than 80 people Happy New Year?"
Anisa Lila, 34, Calgary, Canada
"We pushed, then we went a little further. Then we pushed and went a little further. Then we pushed to our limits and went a little further."
Arshad Ramji, 31, Texas, USA
It's an experience that can never be recreated in any other circumstance.
Jahangir Valiani, 24, Vancouver, Canada
"The open hearts and welcoming nature of everyone created instant bonds, aswell as the endless fun, games, laughs and dancing. What a reminder of the essence of life!"
Azmin Punjani, 29, Seattle, USA.
"Now I know more about what FOCUS is trying to accomplish, it has inspired me to create more awareness of FOCUS within our community and outside."
Nazira Virani, Toronto, Canada
"A million opportunities to discover something you haven't seen before."
Reezwan Popat, 33, London, UK
"Hard work and great friends for a good cause."
Ariff Alidina, 32, New York, USA
12 Days of Hike4Life..
During the trip, participants created a unique rendition of a traditional festive song to entertain themselves.
On the 12th day of Hike4Life FOCUS gave to us:
12 days in Madagascar,
an 11 hour flight,
10 days of rain,
9 volunteers,
8-ty new friends,
7 days of hiking,
6 tight T-shirts,
5 minutes to get ready,
4 chocolate truffles,
3 sleepless nights,
2 luggage tags
and a backpack in a duffel bag.