They Gave Their All, So Let's Give Some Back

A Piece Of Hope Chapter 9 : Mt Kinabalu Charity Climb that was to happen from 4 - 8th July 2015 has been cancelled. The committee has met and have decided to turn our efforts now to raise funds for the Mt Kinabalu Heroes, the mountain guides (malim gunung).

The earthquake on 5th June has not only damaged Mt Kinabalu but also the power to earn for the mountain guides. These mountain guides do not earn much and their work is sheer hard work. They have to leave their families at a span of time to aid climbers up and down Mt Kinabalu.

While we adorn expensive attire and gears for the climb, they just manage with simple footwear and clothing. This just show how lean their financial background is. They live a meager life but their love for the job compels them to be fully dedicated and responsible. My respect for them.

If you had experienced climbing up Mt Kinabalu you had experience one of them. Donate if possible. Please contact us or any of APOH committee or team leaders to forward your donations NOW.

Helping Out Mt Kinabalu Mountain Guides In This Hard Times

With the climbing activities at Mt Kinabalu closed indefinitely, the livelihood of the mountain guides and porters have been and will be adversely effected. In such a time, we at A Piece Of Hope is jointly lending support to a fund raising event to be held this Sunday, 21st June at Green Dot Stables in Bandar Utama from 12 - 6pm.

Come and purchase donation vouchers which can be exchange for food. All amount collected for the purchase of the donation vouchers will be fully given to the mountain guides and porters. Food is sponsored by Green Dot Stables, hosted by Lions Club KL and supported by A Piece Of Hope and various community groups.

See you there!

Cancellation of A Piece Of Hope Chapter 9 : Mt Kinabalu Charity Climb

Image of the jigsaw puzzle that was supposed to be carried by the climbers up Mt Kinabalu

It is with deep regret to formally announce that our charity climb this year is CANCELLED indefinitely due to the recent earthquake that hit Mt Kinablu on 5th June 2015. The APOH committee felt that climbing activities on Mt Kinabalu will not resume in time for our scheduled climb on 4 - 8 July 2015. Safety reasons is also quoted as one of the reasons why APOH committee chose to cancel the climb.

* image via My Kundasang

The minimum amount pledge of RM60,000 (as presented as a mock cheque and published in newspaper) will still go to Persatuan Insan Istimewa Cheras Selangor (PIICS). This amount was pre-collected from all of this year's registered climbers. The formal fund raising activity towards the amount of RM200,000 will not happen with the cancellation of the climb. Climbers and potential donors who wish to still donate to PIICS can do so by downloading a donation form HERE.

* image via Sabah Parks

APOH salutes the Heroes of the Mt Kinabalu Earthquake, the MOUNTAIN GUIDES. They have been a great help to all of our climbers in the past 8 years of our Mt Kinabalu Charity Climb. Without them, our weaker climbers will be stuck on the summit. Our great respect to them for they had executed full and unwavering responsibility in carrying out their job. Our condolences to the four mountain guides (Robbi Sapinggi, Valerian Joannes, Ricky Masarin and Joseph Solugin) that died while carrying out their job, may you rest in peace and may your families be at peace too.

We will be collecting donation for the four mountain guides who died and will be passing it directly to their families in July. So far we have collected more than RM20,000. If you are interested to donate, please contact us at apieceofhope@gmail.com.

Press Conference for APOH 9 and Earthquake at Mt Kinabalu

A Press conference was held on 30th May 2015 at Persatuan Insan Istimewa Cheras Selangor (PIICS). The event was graced by a Majlis Perbandaran Klang councillor and his staff. In attendance were also some APOH committee members and climbers. During the event, a mock cheque was presented to PIICS to the initial amount of RM60,000 collected from all of the registered climbers this year. This amount spearheads the targetted amount to be raised of RM200,000. As of date there are 200+ climbers for this year's A Piece Of Hope Chapter 9 : Mt Kinabalu Charity Climb.

At the time of this post writing, a shocking news surfaced. Mt Kinabalu was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake at 7.17am this morning. It was reported that 5 are feared dead and as many as 180 people are left stranded on the peak. Rock fall at the summit has prevented the climbers from coming down the normal route. The legendary 'Donkey's Ears' has been damaged as one of the 'ears' has fallen off (pictured below : screen grabbed from the StarOnline news portal)

With this sudden news, APOH 9 which is happening from 4 - 8 July 2015 is questionable. The committee now awaits further news about this tragic incident to determine the viability of APOH 9. Our prayers are with the concerned families of all the climbers and mountain guides involved.