Special Projects

Some of you may have heard Paul Mtui’s story, but in its most basic form, it is truly a blessing from God.

Paul is our Lead Guide in Tanzania and oversees our ground operations for all of our Mt. Kilimanjaro climbs. In our discussions leading up to “Kilimanjaro with the Children” in 2015, Paul and I talked about a lot of things, but he never mentioned his twin daughters. Upon arriving in Moshi in December 2015, Paul finally broke down and let me know that something “was not right” with his daughters Valen and Vilen. He expressed that they were not doing things that they “should be for their age.” As “luck” would have it, we had some experts with us in Tanzania.

Before leaving to climb Kilimanjaro with the Kupenda Team, I convinced Paul and his wife Vicky to bring their twin daughters to meet with Kupenda Co-Founders Cindy Bauer (US Executive Director) and Leonard Mbonani (Kenya Executive Director). While the team headed to the Londorossi Gate to start our climb, Leonard and Cindy met with Vicky and the girls and determined that they showed signs of autism. Long story short, all the connections came together and Paul’s contact Brenda Shuma (Gabriella Children’s Rehabilitation Centre - Moshi, Tanzania) worked with Paul and Cindy to enroll the girls for 2016.

Fast forward to today and the girls are doing very well at the Centre. The entire Mtui family is part of the education and training.

A group of special education teachers in Charlotte, North Carolina has been provided an amazing opportunity to give back and support students and families who are not as fortunate as ours. Working alongside HGT Travel Foundation, these teachers will be embarking on a mission trip to Africa to assist families and teachers. The goal is to provide autism awareness to parents, teachers and community members in Moshi Tanzania. They are fundraising for the cost of accommodations to provide in-person support, classroom/home management, and sensory integration support. 100% of any extra funds raised will be used to purchase materials for teachers to keep at the center or in the designated schools and classrooms.

One of HGT Travel Foundation's primary goals is to be able to address the ever-changing needs of the communities and people we serve. We are expanding our efforts in this area by partnering with Smugmug and introducing a platform whereby young artists can sell custom photographs and other related products. Please support these fantastic photographers by sharing this site with your friends and family and by purchasing their creations! 100% of your donations go to the artists and their projects. HGT Travel Foundation will continue to look for opportunities to expand our local footprint and connections to other corporate and not for profit organizations around the world. Thank you.

These three incredible young people took part in our first international team member charity climb of Kilimanjaro in 2016. Since that time all three have advanced or graduated from their schools in Kenya. Hassan and Mercy recently earned promotion to secondary school. We will support them with $150 USD each year to buy toiletries, textbooks, and other school items. Kuhenza and Kupenda, our partner organizations in Kenya and the USA will continue to pay for the standard school fees.

For Fumo, who has graduated from school, we will help him with a capital investment of $300 USD to purchase materials for his business. Fumo currently makes table mats and other souvenirs to sell to foreign vacationers where Fumo lives in Malindi, Kenya. Our goal to give Fumo the opportunity to make a profit to sustain himself. To make sure that the money goes to the intended purpose Kuhenza staff will together with Fumo purchase the materials and keep receipts for accountability. Hassan and Mercy will make a shopping list, and Kuhenza will do the purchasing and keep receipts.