CAIRO: The BG Energy Challenge 2007-Egypt raised over $120,000 for charity in Upper Egypt.
Over 140 participants, forming 25 teams, mostly from the energy sector, spent two days hiking and climbing mountains in Wadi El-Gimal National Park in the south east of Egypt by the Red Sea.
Now in its fourth year in Egypt, the BG Energy Challenge raises money for disenfranchised areas of Egypt. Each team is expected to raise a minimum of $4,000 to participate in the challenge.
This year s challenge was split into “caring or “daring routes, testing teams’ fitness and endurance levels.
The Wadi, in the eastern desert, is a harsh terrain for those not acclimatized to the heat and home to an array of reptiles and animals. The challengers hiked about 12 kilometers each day and ascended peaks of up to 239 meters. At the end of day one, they were hosted at a camp by the Bashayera and Ababda tribes, whose subsistence is dependent on the local desert area.
Over $120,000 has been pledged so far this year from the event which will be used to support development projects through CARE Egypt, the organizer of BGE s Energy Challenge.
The BG Energy Challenge is a series of global team building events for the energy sector across five continents. Since 1996, BG Energy Challenges worldwide have contributed over $3 million to charity.
Since 2004, the BG Energy Challenge-Egypt has raised over $580,000 with the proceeds being directed towards basic education for young girls, water and sanitation projects for rural communities, income and jobs generation for 13,000 rural families, and assisting women against violence.
