Porters of Kilimanjaro

Each year, nearly ten thousand tourists travel to Tanzanias Kilimanjaro National Park to summit the worlds tallest freestanding mountain. The journey from the base to the summit can take up to a week of navigating dangerous conditions, from rock slides to freezing temperatures and altitude sickness. There are no facilities on the mountain, so each climbing team is responsible for supplying its own food, shelter, and safety equipment. As most climbers on Kilimanjaro are amateurs, the National Parks mandates that each climber is accompanied by at least one porter to help carry these essentials. It also has guidelines for a minimum daily wage, the maximum weight each porter can carry, and the type of equipment each porter should be outfitted with.

Porters are primarily local villagers from the slopes of Kilimanjaro who can earn a living wage working on the mountain. However, because they are usually uneducated and have little or no other means to earn a living, they are regularly exploited by the tour operators who employ them. The porters are often poorly fed, given no warm or waterproof clothing, and according to National Parks guidelines, are grossly underpaid and made to carry loads far heavier than is regulated. Porters are regularly injured due to the poor working conditions and each year porters die working on the mountain.

In most cases, tourists interact solely with their climbing guides and have little to no interaction with the porters themselves. Therefore, they are almost completely unaware of these exploitations even whilst on the mountain. 'Porters of Kilimanjaro' hopes to directly improve the living and working conditions of the porters who help thousands of tourists summit Kilimanjaro each year by empowering tourists to make an informed decision when choosing a tour operator. Porters are employed by an unregulated group of tour operators, of which only a handful practice proper porter treatment as mandated by Kilimanjaro National Parks.

To learn more about how to climb Kilimanjaro responsibly go to http://www.kiliporters.org.

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Directed, Filmed and Edited by:
Ryan Miller and Jessica Reynolds

Composer:
Kerry Muzzey

Audio Mix:
Hobo Audio

Color Correct:
Juantxo Royo

With many thanks to:
Tanzania Journeys
Marangu Hotel
Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project
John Pallangyo
Philip Mbise