Mountain Guide Training
The Mountain Guide Training project supports women with guide training. It offers the necessary learning and skill building through field practices to become a certified mountain guide, increasing each woman’s earning potential by 20%.
Instructors from Mweka Wildlife College provide general knowledge of tourism, mountain ecology, biological resources identification, mountain physical resources skills, tour guiding skills and techniques, first aid, emergency care and wilderness rescue techniques.
The Certificate of Completion is used for official registration as Mountain Guides recognized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and KINAPA.
Sponsor a Female Guide
Currently, 3% of the total guides on Mt Kilimanjaro are female. Donations made to the Tanzania Women Guides Foundation make it possible for us to train and certify more female guides.
Sponsoring a female guide covers their tuition fee, accommodation while training, meals, transportation, and schools supplies, and required gear.
Email Glory Thobias to sponsor a female guide with mountain guide training: thobiasglory@icloud.com
Glory’s Vision & Goals
Glory was among the first few certified woman guides on Mt Kilimanjaro. From 2012 to 2015 there were only 4 certified woman guides, and 2,625 certified males.
As a way of giving back to the community, the foundation’s continued vision is to empower, train and support at least 50 women guides.
During her visit to the USA, Glory introduced the idea of her project to her friend and former client on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Karen Bowman. Karen partnered with KiliTech President Laurel Werner to sponsor 6 women to become female guides. The following year they sponsored 10 more.
Significance of the project
Women who are sponsored to receive mountain guide training are given a great opportunity to advance their career. Three of the original Six women selected for the training are single mothers who were supporting their families working as mountain porters. Now that they have guide training their salaries will increase by 20%. Women working as mountain guides breaks the glass ceiling of the belief that only men should be mountain guides!
Assisting women to find jobs
Finding jobs for women is difficult, which is why it is so important to hire female guides to challenge and change the status quo. The Tanzania Women Guides Foundation assists women who complete their Mountain Guide Training to find jobs after they complete their certification.
Proficieny in English is also necessary and so many include language courses.
Support Our Mission: Email thobiasglory@icloud.com
