Television personality Nirvana Azzopardi’s legacy will continue through a kindergarten school in Ethiopia named in her honour that the participants of this year’s Kilimanjaro challenge are striving to raise cash to fund.
A group of 16 people, who will head to Tanzania in December to scale Africa’s highest mountain, are seeking to raise €65,000 for the kindergarten to be built in Gambella, Ethiopia.
Construction has already started while the team has managed to collect some €30,000 through various group and individual fundraising activities such as charity dinners and boat parties that are taking place during the year.
Ms Azzopardi tragically passed away in October following a two-year-battle with cancer.
Joe Azzopardi said his daughter’s legacy will live on through the Nirvana Azzopardi Kindergarten.
“We always hoped that Nirvana would not end on October 9 but that her legacy would live on. Through this kindergarten, it will live on because these children, who are not as lucky as us, can have a good life.”
Kilimanjaro challenge coordinator Keith Marshall was a close friend of Ms Azzopardi.
Describing her as “humble, intelligent and modest”, he recalled how she was quick to compère a fundraising activity at the Razzett tal-Ħbiberija in 1996.
“I feel she was so respectful to people who were not privileged that we should respect her legacy.”
He explained the kindergarten will cater for 200 children aged between five and 10. It will also run a daily feeding programme and children will be taught basic hygiene.
The challenge runs hand-in-hand with Moviment Ġesu fil-Proxxmu, coordinated by Mgr George Grima for the past 25 years, which finances and manages hundreds of projects involving the poorest of children in Brazil, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Since its conception eight years ago, the challenge has seen almost 100 hardy expedition members from all walks of life take on the world’s highest free-standing mountain and raising in excess of €450,000, which has been invested in building a school and convent in the Ethiopian village of Bulbula as well as a house hosting 100 physically disabled, deaf and blind children in Kenya and a clinic in Sakko, Ethiopia.
“It’s interesting to note that we Maltese have the highest success rate in the world,” Mr Marshall said.
“Out of the 100 Maltese who attempted to scale the mountain as part of the challenge, only three didn’t manage to make the summit.”
The next fundraising event by the Kilimanjaro challenge team will be a boat party on Sunday.
This will be followed by a buffet dinner on July 19 at Xara Lodge. For more information, contact Austin Cachia on 7945 0880.
Donations can be sent through the following numbers: Call 5150 2084 for €5; 5160 2028 for €10, or 5180 2095 for €25.
Text 5061 7389 for €2.33 and 5061 8062 for €4.66.