Kent Sport employees don’t shy away from taking on challenges. Yasmin Benaleten, a Kent Sport auxiliary Duty Officer, certainly fits the bill. She has taken on the arduous task of climbing Kilimanjaro in support of the Meningitis Research Foundation.
Yasmin is currently getting her Masters in Organisational Psychology and decided to become a Kent Sport auxiliary in September 2018, slotting right in with the team. With her history of sport having been involved with the rowing team as well as lacrosse, Yasmin is no stranger to keeping fit.
She decided to partake in an extraordinary challenge along with 50 other people that not only tests the physical, but mental as well – climbing the tallest free-standing mountain in the world in September 2019.
It is far more than the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro itself; it is setting a passionate challenge to give back to others. – Yasmin Benaleten
Pairing her challenge with a charity was something Yasmin yearned to do. The Meningitis Research Foundation is a charity near to Yasmin’s heart and she wanted her efforts to go towards helping to eradicate this horrible disease by 2030.
Currently, there are vaccinations available for this disease but more awareness needs to be brought to the importance of having them. Yasmin hopes to not only help fund the cost of producing the vaccination, but also highlight its importance.
“As I am a current student I especially want to raise awareness that [students] are at the second highest risk in getting the bacteria which causes the swelling of the protective layers around the brain and long term damage which [causes] one death per every 10th person being infected. Awareness of the vaccination needs to increase to prevent more students from dying. The vaccinations are funded by the Foundation, supported by events like climbing Kilimanjaro,” said Yasmin.
Yasmin is going to be fundraising as much as possible to ensure her challenge happens. She’ll also be taking part in fitness regimes and applying to participate in the Xercise Factor to get her in tip-top shape. If you’re interested in finding out more and supporting Yasmin on her trek up Kilimanjaro, please visit bit.ly/2W9Smp9.
You too can be as fit as a trekker for Kilimanjaro by applying for the Xercise Factor – the best way to reach your fitness goals with a qualified fitness instructor all for free with your Kent Sport membership. For membership information, visit kent.ac.uk/sports/membership.
Kent Sport wishes Yasmin and her teammates all the best for such an incredible feat.