eschwegler.de | Room to Read

Welcome Room to Read M'Goun-Trek Your Support Updates Contacts	SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 While some were really interested to join me, it just did not work out in terms of the timing Ц hence, we will postpone the trip. Goal of this initiative is to raise funds for scholarships, so that girls in developing countries can go to school. Thanks to everyone who supported me Ц and the girls! Ц so far: within Germany, we raised about 3.800А, which will provide funding for two 10 year scholarships. If you are thinking about making a donation this year, consider this: By providing funds for a scholarship you can make an immediate and direct impact. About two thirds of the illiterate people are girls and women. Cause almost always is poverty Ц and the result, too. Room to Read is very results-oriented, focused on keeping overheads low and maximizing the impact of donations. The organization has been recognized as one of the most effective charities in the US since 2003: it devotes 85% of the overall budget to its programs. Make a donation to Room to Read and help breaking the vicious circle of illiteracy and poverty. Thanks a lot in advance!

	WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 05 In the meantime, I am not only working my friends but also other channels: So far, I got two articles in the office intranet, I got in touch with different newspapers (actually there was an article in the local newspaper end of July!) and radio stations. But what I am still missing are folks joining me on this trekking tour -- so: How about you? How about hiking the Atlas Mountains in the week of September 26? And don't forget to check with your friends, too -- this tour is open to everyone who is willing to go hiking for a good cause!

	TUESDAY, JULY 21 In the meantime I got 2 articles on the planed hiking tour out on the internal communication channels of our company .. and sent the info in a brief email to my network of colleagues. Clearly I was curious and keen to see how they would react to my pat project Е it took about 3 min to get the first reply: ДЕ just checked out your website: very well done! You definitely have my support (unfortunately only financially -- would love to join you!)Ф Thanks, Martin!! Additionally, I have an interview with a local newspaper coming up tomorrow and am getting slightly nervous to be honest. Nevertheless, I am trying to get in touch with the bigger newspapers in Frankfurt, too Ц and the local radio station. And my favourite radio station. Guess you get the picture: since there is nothing I can do around the actual trip, I am keeping myself busy with beating the drums and doing marketing. So, if you have additional ideas and/or contacts I should tap into, let me know!

	THURSDAY, JUNE 10 WOW!! Just checked my websiteТs tracking tool Ц got 270 hits following my initial email. Thanks to everyone who forwarded my mail! Here are a couple of questions I received and which you might have on your mind too Ц let me know if there are more. Why Morocco? I decided to go for Morocco and MТGoun since I know the trek and have an agency I trust Ц after all, I want know what to expect when IТm asking friends to join me! And although Room to Read is not active in Morocco, the country has a number of similarities -- especially in the rural areas -- with those countries Room to Read serves: 9 million people are illiterate (27,2% in the cities; 54,4% in the rural areas). The illiteracy rate is about 15% higher among women than men. (Source: Dept of Foreign Affairs, Germany) Wow Ц 4,000m?! IТll never be able to make that!! If you have the stamina to walk for 5-6 hours per day (okay, it will be 8-9 hours on the summit day), you can make it. But yes, it is a challenge -- not a walk in the park! But it is not a climb with ropes etc. either. Due to the gradual approach to the summit, you should get acclimatized to the height just fine. From my perspective, it is much more important that you feel comfortable sleeping in a tent, washing yourself in a river and taking a 5 min stroll to look for a quiet place when in need of a restroom. How do I get to Marrakech? Some airlines offer direct flights (Opodo or Expedia usually provide good search engines Ц and if you use clicks4charity, you can start the fundraising here!). Alternatively, you can go to Casablanca and take a train to Marrakech from there; friends of mine did that 2 or 3 years ago and it worked just fine for them. I really like your initiative Ц but I will be hard pressed to start begging my friends for money! Raising money can seem a little daunting Ц but this is not about begging for money and you should not position it that way. You will be accomplishing two things: the trek to MТGoun and raising funds for 10 girlsТ scholarships. The more you know about Room to Read and what purpose that funding serves, the more your friends will understand how important and valuable you commitment is. Make it tangible when asking for their financial support -- ask for 1c/altitude meter (40,71 А); 5А/hour walked (200А) or 1А/day walked (60 Euro); or for 1 month of a scholarship (20,85 А) one quarter (62,50А) or a full year (250А). Also, consider forgoing birthday presents and ask for donations instead.

	SUNDAY, MAY 31 DONE Ц just hit the send button of that email Е 8 weeks ago I started to think about organizing a trek for the Room to Read charity Ц I had read about similar activities in the US and the UK, but never heard about something like this here in Germany. But since Уnothing ventured, nothing gainedФ (or, as a friend of mine said, Уhad man not tried new things, we would still live in cavesФ) I decided to take a leap of faith and turn that idea into reality. I tell you: ItТs been an interesting 8 weeks!! All the prep work kept me quite busy outside of normal working hours and job assignments. Without the help and support of some folks, this would not have been possible at all: Thanks specifically to Diane, Cameron, Anne and Jan Ц without you this website would not be happening! And now I canТt wait to get feedback Е