It’s not often that a grandmother wakes up one morning and decide to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. But then again Lynn Forbes is no ordinary grandmother by a long shot.
Inspirational Speaker, Entrepreneur, mother to two boys including Hip Hop Artist AKA and grandmother to the soon to be 3-year-old Kairo, Lynn is putting her social influence to good use in her latest challenge to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in July.
She shares her life journey and personal experiences to inspire self-love and self-awareness in others. Her belief is that any lasting transformation has to happen from the inside out and her purpose is to make a positive impact.
“I have a passion for the human spirit and a gift of love which I believe I have been called upon to share for the benefit of myself and others.”
As an ambassador of the 2018 Trek4Mandela Expedition, Lynn aims to raise R1 million in aid of Caring4Girls, to assist them in reaching their goal of supporting 2 million economically disadvantaged school girls by 2020. She is committed to raising awareness for the initiative, in order to increase accessibility to sorely needed sanitary products together with hygiene education and to ensure the growth and development of young South African schoolgirls into women with dignity.
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Lynn has always wanted to summit Kilimanjaro, the place above the clouds, where she escaped to during the time of her abuse as an 11 year old. Her childhood dream to summit Mount Kilimanjaro resurfaced with the birth of her granddaughter Kairo Owethu Forbes in 2015. Three years in the planning, this triggered her final decision and commitment to summit Africa’s highest mountain, as part of her 50th birthday celebrations in July 2018.
“I understand many of the short and long-term effects suffered by victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse because I have experienced them myself. We live with these memories for a very long time …
Like most survivors, I have kept my abuse a “secret” for many years after the abuse had ended. I know how difficult it is to speak out because of the fear of being met with resistance or because you feel that you can’t trust anyone.
My purpose is no longer restricted to survivors of childhood sexual abuse but rather to make a positive impact in the life of every human being I encounter on a daily basis.”
ClimbingKili4Kairo has become her personal cause, Kairo being symbolic and representative of the plight of every child on the African continent through her involvement in the Caring4Girls initiative.
A teacher by profession, Lynn is passionate about making an impact through education, inspiring courage and giving hope to children. She is a black South African woman who feels compelled to personally make a positive contribution to address the social and economic circumstances faced by so many children in Africa.
Having faced the stigma surrounding sexual abuse, the silence that protects the perpetrator and the shame and denial which fuels the epidemic for over 38 years , Lynn has finally broken her silence last year and have spoken out against the abuse of children. She advocates our responsibility to raise children who will not spend their adult lives recovering from their childhoods.
The Trek4Mandela 2018 Centenary Expedition to Kilimanjaro has provided her with a platform to carry forward Madiba’s legacy, achieve her childhood dream and celebrate her 50th birthday, while raising funds and awareness for this worthy cause.
To find out more about Lynn’s journey or how to get involved or donate to the cause, simply follow her social media handles.
- Twitter – @LynnForbesZA
- Instagram – @LynnForbesZA
- Facebook – Lynn Reed Forbes
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