Al Anzy becomes first Qatari woman to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro

Dana Al Anzy has become the first Qatari woman to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the world's tallest free-standing mountain.

Al Anzy, a student of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), was part of a 12-member team of young Qataris and expats, including three guides, who worked to raise money for the 'Elevate to Educate' expedition to build and renovate schools in Gaza through Reach Out to Asia (ROTA).

The expedition was organised by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, who last year became the first Qatari to climb Mount Everest.

When she joined the team, Al Anzy was asked to commit to raising a minimum of QR50,000 and she rose over QR200,000.

"It was a competition between the climbers to see who would raise the highest amount for our cause. My target was QR200,000 but I had no clue how I would raise it. I crossed the target, and the lesson I learned is set your goals high even if they seem unachievable," she said.

Al Anzy decided to approach local schools for fund-raising. "I went to schools in Doha, I knew capacity was there. Youth are passionate about the cause, and I reached out to them. I told each school that I would carry their flag to the summit, and they were in."

Through bake and rose sales, festivals, and fundraisers for each school, Al Anzy mobilised young people, school administrators, friends and family from Aljazeera Academy Girls, Qatar Academy and Qatar International School, each raising over QR50,000.