 |
 |
 |
You'll love the way we climb & trek™ |
 |
 |
 |
 |
We cannot stress the issue of porter care enough. Here are two more quotes from the excellent article in National Geographic, "...many of the tour operators that offer the cheapest treks up the mountain lack proper high altitude experience, putting customers at risk and porters in extreme danger..." "...Sometimes porters are only getting paid two, three dollars a day if they're getting paid at all. And that's poor compared to the amount of money that's being brought in..." Source: National Geographic |
 |
 |
||
 |
Porter Care
Kiliwarrior Expeditions is very concerned about the plight of porters on Kilimanjaro. Please read the section entitled, 'Essential Porter Policy' below.
|
Kiliwarrior Soap Box - Porter Organizations |
|
We set out to transform the way things work on Kilimanjaro. We are enjoying tremendous success with our maniacal focus on porter and customer care. We were the first company to make our porters the focal point of our business - relying on them to add a cultural and human dimension to our climbs. We pay the highest salaries and our porters split the profits of our DVD sales - a huge financial windfall. Recently, there has been a surge in organizations formed to promote the plight of porters in the Kilimanjaro area! In addition, outfitters know that porter sentiment is big business and they are jumping on the bandwagon to form associations and unions and more. The list is growing and it is getting harder to distinguish between for-profit and non-profit concerns: Most have good intentions, some are fraudulent (the founder of a recent local porters union has been jailed) and all depend on donations and public support to further their causes. While the details differ, they have basically the same agenda: To stop porter abuse by suggesting maximum carry weights, expecting outfitters to provide shelter, food and transport, to fight for minimum salaries, to provide mountain gear (clothes, etc), to conduct porter training, and to somehow establish insurance, medical and pension plans. This is great and we WHOLEHEARTEDLY support all of these efforts. But how effective are these competing efforts? We see porters get new windbreakers and immediately sell it! And why do we still see porters on the mountain carrying huge weights and without proper tents to sleep in? These efforts are noble but they all miss the point by various degrees. The porters want mostly: a) More cash in the bank b) Predictable, reliable income (they all have to pay rent) c) Insurance and pensions Then they don't have to work for shady companies and there won't be a need for non-profits! Unfortunately, no organization address these needs on a large scale and the porters are left with no options but to swallow their pride and go stand at the park gates hoping for work at any cost! What can the non-profits do? a) Stop concentrating so much about donating clothes and other handouts. It warms the heart but cures little - clothes are actually cheap in Tanzania b) Start educating the public about shady outfitters. How come some of the worst outfitters remain fully booked every year? The non-profits need to get more aggressive and come to the mountain to see what's really going on c) Negotiate umbrella pension and insurance plans with providers d) Set up abuse centers where porters can anonymously report abuse. Then DO something about it! e) Arrange mountain cleanup treks staffed by porters who don't have jobs and pay them for their efforts f) Negotiate tuition discounts for registered porters at local schools and colleges g) Fight hard to implement decent minimum wages and to penalize outfitters who don't comply --------------------------------------- The guides & porters we know are smart, witty, hardworking and ambitious. Wilbert uses most of his money to help his mom pay for his brothers and sister to complete school. Our guide Faraja wants his brother Dickson (a porter) to complete high school and to save a part of his salary for further education. Godson needs a cow to provide milk for his family. Our senior porter Hosea wants to become a guide but needs to improve his English by attending school during the rainy months (when we climb less). Edward (assistant chef) wants to be a head chef and needs better English and reading skills. The point is, these young men know what they want in life (at least in the short term) but to achieve their dreams they need steady work and more money. If they earn more money, they can afford to take a few months off from climbing and learn new skills in school or college. But by paying them peanuts on the mountain, they are trapped. And giving them handouts do little for their self-esteem and cash situation. Our approach is simple: 1. Pay the porters more and develop different sources of revenue to provide a steady stream of incoming cash. For example, our porters split the profits from our best-selling Kilimanjaro DVD series. This way they receive income even while not climbing due to illness, injury or time off. 2. Continue to improve their conditions on the mountain. We are doing good today, but we can still do a LOT better. Upgrading their sleeping conditions to be more light-weight and warmer is a priority. We already do all the other things such as restricting loads to 40-45lbs (20kg), etc. 3. Assist them (monetarily and otherwise) when needed. For example, our chefs can be more effective if they have phones (to shop around) and computers with printers to prepare the menus. We will buy this for them and withhold a small portion of their salaries until the equipment is paid for. Then it belongs to them. We are also looking at medical and insurance packages - this may be an area where a porter's union or organization can really help a lot by negotiating an umbrella coverage. In all honesty our current policies have too many holes and exclusions and if any Tanzanian company reads this and want to help us do better, then please do so! 4. Educate them. We continue to motivate our porters to plan for careers other than climbing. Leg and back injuries can end a porter's career very suddenly. Many of our clients send money to help them with school and other educational expenses. We think that being a porter under the right circumstances is an honorable job and very rewarding (some of our porters make more than $150 per trip when tips are included). But having an education to fall back upon is priceless. 5. Involve them. We introduce our porters to our guests on the 2nd day of every climb. We expect our porters to mix with our clients, and we ask our clients to engage our porters during the 9 days on the mountain. Afterwards, it is common for some of our porters to accompany our clients to local nightclubs, restaurants and other events! Our porters are not nameless individuals with bags on their heads. They have names and we are the only company to proudly post their names and pictures on the web. |
To summarize:
 |
We are active supporting members of the only organization that really counts on Kilimanjaro - the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC), but our focus is first and foremost on our own team. |
|
As far as we know, our porters receive the best wages on Kilimanjaro. See the "Wages" section below. |
|
Our guides earn monthly salaries in addition to climbing allowances! They get paid even if they do not climb! This sets us apart from all other outfitters. |
|
Our porters receive proper clothing and equipment. |
|
We provide transportation for our porters at no cost. |
|
Our porters are provided proper shelter and sleeping arrangements. |
|
Our porters are provided with proper food, cooking equipment and water at no cost to them. |
|
Sick or injured porters are properly cared for. |
|
Our modern mountain equipment is lightweight and portable; allowing us to restrict each porter's total load to about 40-45lbs (20kg), or less when we employ lady porters and young men. |
|
We respect the mountain. We pay our park fees, and we carry out all refuse - even if it means employing more porters. |
|
We carry refuse bags and often collect thrash that others leave behind. If you see litter on the mountain, please inform your guide. |
|
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
The Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) is a Tanzanian NGO registered in January 2003. Our focus is improving the working conditions of the porters on Kilimanjaro. We do this by: · Lending donated clothing at no charge for the porter’s use while working on Kili · Providing English and First Aid classes for the benefit of the porters · Educating the climbers on proper porter treatment KPAP is an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Boulder, CO. We are in great need of individuals who are coming to climb Kili who would be willing at act as couriers by transporting some of our clothing. The airlines from the U.S. presently allow a passenger to carry 2 pieces of luggage at 70 pounds each when traveling directly to Africa. If you suspect that you will be under the weight limit and would like to assist us, we would send you one of our duffel bags filled with donated clothing. As IMEC is a nonprofit organization, we are also asking your consideration to pay for the shipping charges as a tax deductible donation. Average cost is $50 to $70. A letter will also be emailed to you that will assist you with customs. One month’s notice prior to your departure is appreciated. Please contact Karen Valenti at karen@mountainexplorers.org if interested in participating. The Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project’s office is located in Moshi on the J.K. Nyerere Road in front of Hotel Da Costa. Welcome to our office if you would like to witness the work that we are doing here. Please visit our website at www.mountainexplorers.org and join us as a member if you would like to be a part of this worthy cause.
|
F&S
Mountain Team Equipment
Each trek is outfitted with a cook tent (foreground) where food is prepared, and one or more porters' tents (background). Note the ground covers and ventilation pipes. We provide separate mess tents for our clients. The arrangement on the mountain is interesting. The chef and his two helpers prepare all client food in the cook tent, while the porters choose their own cook to prepare their favorite meals in their tents. The porters' tents are social places and great fun to visit in the early evening. It is warm and noisy inside - and they will tempt you to taste a cornmeal mush called Ugali. It is cornmeal cooked with water to a thick consistency and poured out onto a board or plate for everyone to eat from. Beef broth with vegetables can be poured over it, and on special occasions chunks of meat are added to the broth. |
 |
|
Essential Porter Policy
On November 15 2002, National Geographic Adventure ran a story ('Deaths on Kilimanjaro Raise Concern About Porters' Safety') on the deaths of three porters on Kilimanjaro. In October 2003, they ran another article ('Carrying a heavy load') claiming "between 15 and 20 porters die on Kilimanjaro each year".
In September 2003, concerned F&S Kiliwarrior staff members decided to go see for themselves how an average Climb operates. They booked a 6-day Climb with a very popular local operator and here is a brief summary of their experience. Please note: these facts were documented on film, but there is no need to expose this operator. Each must run the business as they please. But you, the Client, should ask tough questions before you support these careless operators.
|
We booked a 5 night, 6-day Climb on the Machame route with Company A. At $1075 each (sharing, climb only with no pre- or post accommodation), the trip was certainly not the cheapest - and given the Company's reputation and arrogance our expectations were reasonably high. |
|
The afternoon before the Climb, the owner from Company A showed up to give us a briefing. She did not inspect our gear and did not prepare us for the REAL conditions on the mountain (food, small tents, water, etc). We talked mostly about the route and AMS. Reality Check 1 (bad information to start with). And she never asked us what we want or expect. As it turned out they did not supply mattresses - fortunately we had our own. Reality Check 2. (they did not care about our needs). |
|
On our way to the Machame Gate, we passed several folks with backpacks who later turned out to be our guides and porters! These poor people had to find their own way to Machame town (from Arusha and elsewhere) and then they still had to hike to the gate - a steep 4km Climb in the rain. Reality Check 3. (climbing staff don't matter to them) |
|
In total, we had a guide, an assistant guide, a cook and 7 porters. |
|
At Machame camp, we saw our tent - a small blue 2-person A-frame with no sleeping mat. This tent was way too small for 2 adults. It was raining and the lack of a decent vestibule made entering the small tent a muddy affair. Condensation was already present and the walls were caving in from the weight of the rain. If ours was this bad, what about the porters? Sadly, they did not have tents. Reality Check 4. (most other companies use 3-person dome tents - for good reasons. 2-person A-frames are cramp and uncomfortable with little room for gear and have no place on the mountain other than saving money for the outfitter) |
|
We had an old mess tent without ground cover. Inside, food was cooked on a small kerosene stove neatly positioned in the dirt. No need to talk about hygiene standards with this setup! The tent was perspiring and damp. There were two short bar seats and an old wooden table. And the kerosene fumes were overwhelming. Reality Check 5. |
|
The guides had small tents. The rest of the team slept in the mess tent. No wonder they did not want us to hang around after dinner! These poor folks were sleeping in the dirt with very basic sleeping gear. The tent was damp, but we guess there are warmth in numbers. Reality Check 6. (THIS IS ILLEGAL - AND WE ARE ARE VERY TEMPTED TO REVEAL THE NAME OF THIS OUTFITTER) |
|
During the Climb, the porters were carrying heavy loads - we could hardly lift the bags - but we had no way of estimating the weights since there was no scale (conveniently). Reality Check 7, but we could not prove our concerns. |
|
The porters were dressed in many layers of clothes, so as long as they had the mess tent they were seemingly OK. But they lacked gloves and some were clearly cold at the higher altitudes. Reality Check 8. (Porter care?) |
|
We saw no safety equipment, except for an old first aid kit. Reality Check 9. Fortunately, none of us got hurt or suffered visibly from AMS. |
|
The water situation was horrible. Our water was boiled, but the pots were not clean so the water tasted really bad. And the drinking water was always boiling hot when we needed a drink! Reality Check 10. (Did not care about customer needs - bad information during pre-climb briefing) |
|
At the end of our trip, the tipping ceremony was very uncomfortable. We tipped much more than the guidelines set by Company A, yet the signals and body language from the porters left a bad taste. It may have been showmanship, but we did not like it. Reality Check 11. (Unhappy porters who got paid much less than company claims) |
|
The final reality check came when a few members of the team asked for a ride back to Arusha. Our driver (from Company A) refused, causing loud exchanges. Somehow our guides got to ride with us - but we were happy to leave the turmoil behind. Reality Check 12. (Bad relationship between company and mountain team) |
Many well-known booking agents in the UK, the USA and elsewhere use company A. Company A is very vocal about their high standards on the mountain, and is often quoted, yet our experience was very telling. They treated their porters (and us) with no respect. The real truth is on the mountain, and it is sobering. F&S Kiliwarrior aims to do better.
The F&S Kiliwarrior Policy on Workers' Rights and Conditions
F&S Kiliwarrior wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the International Porter Protection Group and the International Mountain Explorers Connection.
But more importantly, we take care of our porters where it really counts - on the mountain - where you are the ultimate judge of our efforts. Our clients are very vocal about our team and how well we treat everybody. Please read our client comments here. Our porters are not nameless individuals. They are crucial on the mountain and are an important part of our success. We post pictures of our porters and make sure that our clients understand the vital roles they play - beside being a lot of fun in camp!
Part 1: Relationship between F&S Worldwide LLC and our Kilimanjaro Team.
F&S Worldwide, LLC (F&S) creates exclusive, high-end adventure events for our distinguished clients. Our Kilimanjaro Climbs are restricted to small groups of 8 or less. We have an exclusive contract with a licensed Tanzanian Guide who is the single point of contact for all of our Climbs. Our Managing Partner is a Partner in his Company.
The Guide understands our requirements and operates each Climb according to a clear set of guidelines and policies. F&S supplies all camping and safety equipment (imported from the USA), and the Guide is solely responsible for the maintenance of this equipment as per our agreement.
Part 2: Relationship between our Guide and his Team
A small team of senior contractor employees - each with an employment contract detailing responsibilities, benefits, career path and compensation, assists the Guide. This contract has been approved by F&S and may not be amended without our approval.
At the start of each Climb, the Guide and his senior team must select the porters according to the KINAPA guidelines. In addition, each porter receives clear instructions with details about their responsibilities, compensation and benefits. The agreement must include the Guide's responsibilities. This agreement has been approved by F&S and may not be amended without our approval.
Abuses of power are not tolerated. F&S, in collaboration with our Guide, has established a clear set of policies to simplify and standardize the employment of porters. Any deviations are grounds for a breach of contract - which could result in the cancellation of the contract with our Guide and his use of our equipment. The stakes are high and our Guide is unlikely to endanger his position.
Part 3: Relationship between F&S and the local chapter of the International Mountain Explorers Connection
We expect our local Guides and his senior team to actively support IMEC and to represent F&S Kiliwarrior at local IMEC functions. Our team assists with local courses to porters and we try to help IMEC as much as we can.
Part 4: Terms of employment
A copy of the translated short-term porter contract is available upon request to approved entities.
Part 5: Wages
Porter wages are based on research into the local economic situation and average wages in the country, as well as consultation with IMEC. We have a sliding scale of compensation; experienced porters are paid more. In addition, F&S Kiliwarrior expects something special from our porters on our exclusive Climbs, and we compensate them accordingly. Our equipment is very expensive and we need our porters to take special care during handling.
We currently pay starting salaries of TS 92500. Helping porters, chefs and guides receive more. In addition, each member of the crew gets between TS 20,000 - TS50,000 for camping on the crater rim. We want to have the best compensation plan and will adjust upwards if we hear of an outfitter that pays more.
Part 6: Training
The proceeds of our new DVD will be used for a career development plan for our porters. Plans are in the works for English and Wilderness training during the rainy months. We are also working on a plan to train those who are interested in becoming mountain & safari guides.
We encourage our porters to learn and get formal training. Joining IMEC courses is a good start.
Part 7: Equipment
We provide good-quality porter tents with proper ground canvas and sleeping mats.
We provide a free porter bus for transport to/from the mountain.
Food is included and the whole team (guests included) shares the same meal plan (porters have their own cook).
Our guides will not employ porters without proper clothes and accessories. Every Christmas, we donate money (from the DVD proceeds) to our Arusha office to assist our porters with expenses such as mountain gear, medical, etc.
Part 8: Loads
Our very modern and high-quality mountain equipment weigh less, so we can afford to restrict each porter's total load to 40-45lbs (20kg). This load starts to go down after day 1 (as our food supply goes down).
Part 9: Client awareness
We strongly encourage interaction between the porters and our clients. Each porter has a vital role to play and we expect our guides to introduce the whole team at the start of each Climb. Clients get to know each porter and his duties. We ask our clients to acknowledge the role of each porter and to thank those who perform well during the Climb.
To further the relationship between client and porter, we place pictures of our team on this web site.
Part 10: Monitoring
F&S Kiliwarrior is based in the USA and in Tanzania. To ensure that all contractual obligations are met in a consistent manner, we use a multi-layered feedback mechanism.
|
Our post-Climb evaluation forms contain various questions about the mountain team, their equipment and their wellness. |
|
Our porters have a special email address for feedback to the F&S management team. This is true for all employee contracts. |
|
We urge our porters to contact IMEC, where they have a voice. F&S management has asked IMEC to report any negative feedback. |
|
We visit Arusha regularly to evaluate every aspect of our Climbs and to improve procedures based on client and employee feedback. |