Two ambitious, Indian-American girls from Oman reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro last week and raised US$11,500 through this expedition for the conservation of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea off Oman’s shores

Young and brimming with enthusiasm, 16-year-old Ella Rajda and her 13-year-old sister Lyla have engaged gear for a fulfilling mission in life – to mobilise opinion in favour of conserving the resources of the planet as well as its creatures – minuscule or majestic.

Last week (December 21-28), the teenaged Indian-American expatriates took up an ambitious expedition along with their mother, Jesal Asher-Rajda, to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro for a worthy cause – they raised funds to the tune of US$11,500 (RO4,400 approximately) which will be given to the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) towards a conservation project to save the Arabian Sea humpback whales from extinction.

Ella Rajda, a grade 10 student, is currently getting ready for her GCSEs at Haileybury College – a leading independent co-educational day and boarding school in the UK. She aspires to take up a career in the Space Industry and continue her passion for Environmental Conversation and Sustainability. Lyla Rajda, a grade 8 student at Haileybury College, hopes to study medicine and continue to give back to the community via social work.

“We have been to Tanzania several times for safari adventures and seen Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance. We both love to explore, and are very adventurous having travelled to 40+ countries. Seeing Mount Kilimanjaro intrigued us, leading both of us to research it further,” they chorused regarding their intent to take up this expedition.

Having researched the climb to Mt Kilimanjaro and spoken to many who successfully took up a similar expedition, the girls undertook physical and mental preparation for the climb two months ago. They were fully aware of the importance of ‘getting ready’ as many videos they had watched did not give them a real picture of what to expect, they said, adding that they watched videos of the terrain there and spoke with guides to get a thorough understanding that will also help others who intend on following suit.

Accompanied by their mother – Jesal Asher (executive director of Al Ansari Group) – the girls joined a group of climbers on location and carried along basic necessities and climbing accessories, 85% of which wasn’t actually used until the summit day, they said.

On other days, they had to be prepared for rain, sun, cold, and have ready snacks for breaks, besides having to drink up to three litres of water to stay hydrated to manage altitude sickness. 

“The weather on the mountain is very unpredictable and changes rapidly. There were days where we walked through rain and muddy terrain for hours,” said Ella adding, “There was limited to no cellular connectivity on the mountain. We decided to use our time to remain disconnected and use this time to enhance our experience on the mountain. The lead guide would update his company office in Arusha once daily via satellite phone and they would update my father.”

The girls took the 8-day Lemosho Route to climb the mountain. They walked through the Afromontane forest, Shira plateau, glacial valleys and alpine desert. It was hot and wet during the day, and very cold during the night. The trek began on December 21 and ended successfully on December 28.

Challenges

There were various challenges during the climb. The first being the changes in climate and temperature; constantly putting on and removing layers was exhausting, especially alongside the long hours of trekking and the varying altitudes of the day accompanied by the physical challenges that this brings on.

“Another big challenge was ‘pole, pole’ (meaning slowly, slowly in Swahili), necessary for correct acclimatisation. Walking painstakingly slow, seeing our destination for hours, was very difficult to mentally accept. That being said, physically, at times, it was difficult to move any faster because it is very difficult to breathe at that altitude,” Jesal asserted.

The biggest challenge, however, was summit day. Starting at 11pm, the steep climb lasted for 6 and a half hours, as they functioned on a slice of toast, with less than five-minute breaks every hour. Ultimately, it was a very rewarding experience and after reaching the summit, they had to walk another 8 hours downhill to the next camp for the last night. 

“The most interesting conversations we had, were in the evenings at the campsites where we had set up for the night. The guides and porters educated us on the impact of climate change on the mountain, and how much the mountain had changed due to human traffic on the mountain. I conducted and taped interviews with these guides and I plan to make a short documentary on this,” Ella disclosed.

She further said, “My passion for the environment and sustainability was sparked by a visit to Ras Al Jinz to see the turtles. After learning about ESO’s efforts in Turtle Research and Conservation, we raised US$5000 for this cause. Recently, I interned at ESO where I learned about Arabian Sea humpback whales facing extinction, with possibly fewer than 100 left now. So, we decided to raise funds for this cause this cause. (Those interested to contribute can visit:  [email protected])

“Our family is deeply indebted to Oman and I am blown away by its natural beauty. I feel I must contribute in whichever way I can to help preserve this beauty.”

Lyla added, “I am inspired by my paternal grandma who has dedicated her life to social work and the welfare of the poor. Each year I have donated money that I have saved, or been gifted, to social causes (eye treatments, meals for schools, prosthetic limbs for the disadvantaged).

“In 2022, as a student at TAISM, ⁠I won an award by NESA (Near East South Asian Council for Overseas Schools for acceptance of cultures and commitment to welfare of others. I was awarded a $1000 prize, which I donated to the CSE in Muscat (Care and Special Education), Indian School Oman to cover fees for students who were unable to afford fees to attend the school. I wanted my Kilimanjaro climb to have a purpose and therefore chose to support the CSE school again.”

Young resolves

“I am an explorer at heart and I love to take on challenges. Climbing Kili required me to stay strong minded even when I was physically exhausted. I learned to never give up and drew strength from all the kind souls who donated to the Arabian Sea humpback whale cause.”

Ella Rajda

“This was a very adventurous and rewarding experience. I learned how important it is to be mentally committed to the climb and to never give up. We are already researching other climbs and are considering Mt Everest base camp as our next adventure.”

Lyla Rajda