Climbing Africa’s highest mountain isn’t a typical passion project, yet one group is doing exactly that! Team Kilimanjaro will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2026 with a mission to raise funds and give individuals the chance to gain skills while climbing. Lily Hasirci, team leader, sat down with Exepose to discuss what the climb is all about, the fundraising mission and her personal goals for the challenge. When asked what pushed her to climb africa’s highest mountain, she said: “the goal is less about climbing the mountain, but raising the awareness for the charity.” The team has partnered with Dig Deep, a student-led charity that works to give access to clean water and toilets in Kenya. She continued: “the best thing about the charity is that they pick an area and concentrate on it rather than spreading out, giving them the advantage of using their full force of resources in one specific area. ‘’
“The goal is less about climbing the mountain, but raising awareness for the charity.”
Lily Hasirci
Moreover, Lily has a deep personal bond with the region, which gives the climbing journey an emotional dimension for her; “I have personal ties to Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. My mom was born in Zimbabwe, and I visited South Africa and Namibia quite a few times, but I have never been to Tanzania, and I am really looking forward to going.”
Alongside raising money for charity, the team is taking on a personal challenge: “we want to train people in fundraising and equip them with leadership skills and move them out of their comfort zone.’’ The challenge of climbing might seem daunting for someone, but in reality, climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t as difficult as it looks! She explains; “Kilimanjaro is an entry-level hike and is not a hard one at all.” Anyone can become a member of the team, you just to be over 18 at the time of the climb (September 2026). “You just need to have mental strength to hike for 6 days, as it is a long hike,” Lily adds. With a 95% success rate, climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro is quite manageable for people who are just starting their climbing journey.
We want to train people in fundraising and equip them with leadership skills and move them out of their comfort zone.
Lily Hasirci
Fundraising will play an integral role in the climbing as the team wants to help the local community alongside their climbing efforts. The team plans to organise various fundraising activities on campus, from bake sales to coffee nights. Lily emphasises; “we are also partnering with the Charity Fashion Show to recycle old clothes and resell them to collect funds.” The team also plans to collaborate with other societies to organise socials. Each member of the team has a target of fundraising £2900, and half of the funding will be spent on the trip, and the other half will go to the charity.
Multiple other groups are offering the same experience, so what makes Team Kilimanjaro different from others? The answer is that they “are the cheapest one in the market, not making any profit on the trip. There is no middleman in our trip, and we offer the cheapest rate for registration.” To learn more about Team Kilimanjaro, an information session will be held on November at 18:30 6th in the LT/D Streatham Court on 18:30. For details about the session and other updates, follow them on Instagram at @exeterkili.
