News
Fair Travel and Climbing in Mali
(07.01.2010)Ferrino and the Viaggi Solidali Cooperative are involved in raising awareness and support for the Association Karamba Touré education project in Siby (Mali), which is also promoting an initiative to develop climbing activities.
In Mali, responsible tourism goes hand in hand with fair travel and also with climbing. This is all thanks to the initiative of the Association Karamba Touré in Siby, with support from Ferrino and the Viaggi Solidali Cooperative, both members of the AITR (Italian Association for Responsible Tourism).
The Association Karamba Touré in Siby – a country town in the cliffs of Mandingo country, some 60 km south of Bamako, capital of Mali – has been providing education to many young people in the area who would otherwise have none, for 10 years.
As part of this activity, the Association has also identified the opportunity to develop a sports tourism project, taking in the beautiful rocky cliffs that are so prevalent in the area. Of course, as well as hiking and trekking, they have also thought about climbing, because in Mali there are already climbing areas of international renown, above all in the region of Timbuktu, suffice to mention the famous sandstone pinnacles of the Hand of Fatima.
So, with the help and technical management of Damien Girardie from the company Champ des Cimes (valley of Chamonix) and the aid of some French mountain guides, the project has been underway since 2001. The best rock faces for sport climbing have been identified and some routes have been opened. Courses have been put in place to train “moniteurs d’escalade” [climbing guides] and the An Ka Yelen Cooperative for climbing guides in Siby has also been founded. Moreover, in 2007, the first climbing guidebook for the area was published, together with a film by An Ka Yelen.
This initiative, which continues today, is solid proof of a success story that as well as capitalising on the area while continuing to focus on its protection, has also created new job opportunities for the young people who live there.
With the spirit that is behind Responsible Tourism, Ferrino has contributed to the project by sending various climbing equipment, including harnesses and ropes, while for its trips to Mali, the Viaggi Solidali Cooperative also offers visits to Siby to share in the experience of the Karamba Touré Association.
Association Karamba Touré
BP 2566 Bamako
Asso.karambatoure@afribonemali.net
Tel. 00 223 20 24 19 60
info: Soc. Cooperativa Sociale Onlus
corso Regina Margherita 205/a, 10144 Torino
tel. +39.011.4379468 - fax +39.011.4379755
www.viaggisolidali.it
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