James Rulli will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Now that James Rulli has turned 16 he’s about to embark on a life-changing experience by climbing the 6,000-metre-high Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for blind orphans.

It’s good for them to understand that there are people in the world who don’t have as much as we do

“Kilimanjaro is one of the highest climbable summits in the world and, when I’m up there, I’ll probably be one of the highest standing people in the world at that moment. Reaching that summit is a big feat. I’ll know that as soon as I touch my foot on that summit, for a good cause, I change lives,” he said.

James, a Sixth Form student at Verdala International School, has been looking forward to the climb since he was 11 and saw his elder brother Chris, then 16, head off for the climb with their stepfather, Brian Pratt.

Now that he turned 16, according to family tradition, he will embark on the adventure with his stepfather, who he looks up to as a role model. Next, it will be the turn of his eight-year-old brother Sebastian.

James and his stepfather set off for the climb on Thursday and expect to reach the peak of Africa’s tallest mountain on October 28. They will return to Malta the following day.

“I’m doing this primarily for myself. It’s a big feat and a big moment in my life and strengthens the bond between my stepdad and myself, although we already have a strong bond.

“As a by-product to this I can do this amazing thing and change the lives of other people in the process,” said James, who aspires to become an investment banker.

James confessed he is not particularly looking forward to the part where he does not eat a decent meal or shower for 12 days. But his main concern is altitude sickness.

Over the past months he continued his usual fitness regime, going to the gym and playing rugby a couple of times a week.

His mother, Robyn Pratt, is also concerned about altitude sickness and not being able to contact her husband and son for a few days. However, she is proud of them.

“It’s a great experience to do at this age. Sometimes we get carried away by everything we have. It’s good for them to understand that there are people in the world who don’t have as much as we do,” she said.

James has chosen to raise funds for The Emerging Voices, a charity in Colombia that takes care of blind orphans. He found out about the charity through his school.

He hopes to raise about €3,000 to buy Braille machines, a new computer and help set up an area where the children there can learn to play various instruments.

“This is not just about the charity for me. It’s also a goal. I’m not a saint. But at the end of the day, if I can do something for other people, why not?,” he said.

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