Creating Opportunity Through Education in Tanzania
To Return is a 501 C 3 non-profit organization that supports Mt. Kilimanjaro porters, guides, and their families.
Our focus is education. We provide scholarships to the children of Mt. Kilimanjaro porters to attend high-quality local schools. We also support porters and guides with continuing education opportunities in wilderness medicine and leave no trace.
This year, we are expanding our support to include financial assistance to Mt. Kilimanjaro porters and guides. Due to COVID-19, the tourism industry in Tanzania has come to a standstill. With your help, we are providing porters and guides with financial assistance for basic needs including food and rent.
Our Programs
Children's Education
Our core focus is to improve access to education for the children of Mt. Kilimanjaro porters. We pair sponsors with students and provide scholarships.
Porter & Guide Support
Financial assistance for porters and guides for food and housing to help them overcome the lack of tourism due to COVID-19.
Continuing Education
We strive to improve safety on Mt. Kilimanjaro for porters, guides, and their customers. We do so by providing continuing education in wilderness medicine and LNT.
Why Kilimanjaro?
A letter from our founder and executive director.
In 2002, I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for the first time. The adventure was unparalleled. The challenge was great. The scenery was breathtaking. And yet, the lasting impact came from the friendships created with our porters and guides.
For most who climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the story is the same. It is the people even more than the place that is impactful. We are forever grateful to the local porters and guides who keep us safe on the mountain and support our goal of reaching the summit safely.
During this first climb of Kilimanjaro, I was startled by the working conditions of the local porters and guides on Mt. Kilimanjaro. A 19,341-foot mountain, Kilimanjaro begins in the tropics and climbs to an arctic ice cap. The majority of porters do not have adequate clothing or equipment.
To Return was founded to support Mt. Kilimanjaro porters. We started by donating mountain gear to porters. We have evolved to support education both for porters on the mountain and their children.
Our goal is to connect Mt. Kilimanjaro climbers and tourists with porters, guides, and their children to make a lasting positive impact in a place that is dear to our hearts.
Please join us.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Halsey
Get involved! Support children's education in Tanzania and support Mt. Kilimanjaro porters. To Return is a 501 C 3, nonprofit organization.
"Thanks for giving my daughter a good education. I am so happy and proud of her and your organization. She will complete her primary education this year." ~ Rayson, Father of a To Return Scholarship Recipient