Last year’s climb up Mount Kilimanjaro was a warm-up for this year’s Freedom Climb up to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

Today, 45 women from around the world are in Nepal, beginning their trek up Mount Everest. Their purpose?  To be a voice for the voiceless by raising awareness of the oppression, exploitation, and human trafficking of women and children and by raising funds for Operation Mobilization projects that address these issues. Last year they raised $300,000.

You can read more about each climber here.

Obviously this climb will take all the courage, stamina, and strength these ezer-warriors have to give. On Kilimanjaro they set Guinness World Records for the largest group attempting to summit and the highest percentage who succeeded. I met with some of them several times since  and heard stories about their experience—more precisely, their “ordeal.” What kept them going despite nausea, overwhelming fatigue, oxygen deprivation,and for some hallucinations was the fact that they weren’t doing this for themselves.

That’s something to ponder!

They will climb to Everest Base Camp (17,598’) and then summit Kalaphatar (18,192’). Their time in Nepal is from April 9-25, 2013—16 nights/17 days.

They’re asking for prayer. That’s the least we can do!

You can track their progress, here.

U.S. Freedom Climb Team