Ilkley man now aims to trek through Africa

Ilkley man now aims to trek through Africa

9:00am Tuesday 6th September 2011

By Amanda Greaves

An adventurer who trekked hundreds of miles across the Pyrennees is preparing for a fundraising four-month journey through East Africa.

Former Ilkley man Christopher Stanifield plans to trek more than 1,500 miles overland, encountering inhospitable terrain and politically unstable regions, as he makes his way to Edna Adan's Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somalia.

Christopher, 24, became known far and wide when he pressed on with a fundraising walk across the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route despite the death of the donkey companion he had lovingly trained for the trek.

The former chef, who left England last year to explore the world, this time hopes to raise as much as £100,000 for the hospital, as well as spreading the word about the work it does for women in Somalia.

He will travel over land and sea, heading across the vast barren desert of north east Africa, from Port Sudan down through the Red Sea to Djibouti, across the immense Djibouti terrain, before descending into Somaliland and continuing on foot to the maternity hospital in Somalia.

Christoper said: "This world-first is an extraordinary feat of endurance aiming to highlight the health of the people of Somaliland which is among the worst in Africa, with one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world."

He also plans to film the journey in its entirety, with the goal of taking the adventure to the masses via the media.

"The documentary aims to show the diverse nature of each country, incorporating the lives and culture of the people, highlighting the impact their health care systems have on them," said Christopher.

Edna Adan was the first qualified Somali midwife and went onto being the World Health Organisation's regional nursing advisor until eventually selling up everything she had to build her own maternity hospital in Somaliland.

The mission of the Edna Adan Hospital is to help to improve the health of the local inhabitants, in particular the high rate of maternal and infant mortality.

The facility is a non-profit making charity and a midwifery teaching hospital that is also undertaking the training of student nurses and Assistant Laboratory Technicians.

Edna Adan herself remains an activist and a pioneer in the struggle for the abolition of female circumcision, and is president of the Organisation for Victims of Torture.