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Deaf Doncaster man to climb Kilimanjaro to fund school in Tanzania - The Star
A DEAF man from Doncaster who has overcome many challenges has set himself an even bigger one.
Sanjay Topiwala wants to climb one of the world's highest mountains to help children in the African town he left two decades ago.
As well as the bid to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the budding mountaineer is looking forward to an emotional reunion with the father he has not seen for more than 20 years.
Sanjay is set to embark on the trip of a lifetime later this year when he travels back to his homeland to climb the highest mountain on the continent of Africa in aid of a specialist hearing school.
The 35-year-old, who lives in Hatfield, is a talented motor vehicle engineer and airbrush artist tutor at Doncaster College for the Deaf.
He is using his holiday time to tackle the daunting ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro and he will also be seeing his father for the first time since he left for a new life in England 21 years ago.
The dad of two, who will tackle the 19,332 ft expedition with a group of other climbing enthusiasts, hopes to raise enough money to help the Aga Khan Primary School in his hometown of Arusha in Tanzania, so they can build their own well as they do not have their own water supply.
He also wants to buy new learning materials, including a video camera, overhead projectors, dustless chalk and books.
Sanjay has come a long way since his parents divorced in the late 1980s.
He left Tanzania when he was 15 to accompany his mother, brother and sister to England, while his father - Keshavlal - stayed behind in Arusha.
Sanjay felt it was his duty to help out children from his home town and now can't wait to see his father, who he hasn't seen since he left Arusha.
He said: "What will be amazing is raising all that money for children back home who don't have access to the best resources when growing up.
"And of course it will be fantastic to see my dad, who has kindly paid £3,000 for me to go up Kilimanjaro, after so long, as well as introducing my children to him for the first time."
African-born to Indian parents, Sanjay had no speech or sign ability until he came to the UK, when he enrolled at a deaf school in London.
With his passion for vehicles in the fast lane, he then went on to train at Doncaster College for the Deaf to carve himself a career in motor engineering and respraying – where he now works as a support teacher for both deaf and hearing impaired students hoping to learn the trade.
Sanjay, who has now reached level 2 in British Sign Language, added: "We had nothing like the vehicles here back in Africa so I had a real interest when I came to the UK.
"Although I find it difficult to understand some speech, I now find signing easy and can speak English - I couldn't speak at all when I lived in Tanzania.
"So I really enjoy living in Doncaster - plus both my children can chat away in English and sign, so they help my wife and I out when we hit the shops!"
Brave Sanjay will fly back to where he was born for the climb with his Zimbabwean wife Seema, aged 36, who is also deaf and his two hearing children, daughter Vanisha, aged seven, and son Vishal, aged four, who are excited to meet their granddad for the first time.
Sanjay said: "I'm confident about the climb and am training hard, running seven miles up to three times a week.
"You have to be fighting fit to climb a mountain of that height. There is also the atmosphere difference – which doesn't make breathing that easy.
"I can't wait to get to the top!"
Bobbie Roberts, Chair of Trustees at the Deaf College, said: "Sanjay is a real talent who has shown that overcoming obstacles such as being deaf and starting life in a new country should not hold you back.
"He is an asset to the college, and using his artistic flair in paint spraying and mechanics to support youngsters with their training.
"We wish him all the best with his brave fundraising mission to the top of Kilimanjaro, which is for a fantastic cause and will enable many promising students to achieve."
Mount Kilimanjaro, close to the border of Kenya, comprises three distinct volcanic cones and the national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
One of the cones, Kibo, remains active as a dormant volcano, and a strong smell of sulphur still emanates from the inner ash pit.
In 1889, German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller were the first to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro.
It is the tallest freestanding mountain rise in the world and around 25,000 people per year attempt to summit the top of Africa.
Kilimanjaro contains an example of virtually every ecosystem on earth – glacier, snowfields, deserts, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle, all of which are found on the mountain.
A DEAF man from Doncaster who has overcome many challenges has set himself an even bigger one.
Sanjay Topiwala wants to climb one of the world's highest mountains to help children in the African town he left two decades ago.
As well as the bid to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the budding mountaineer is looking forward to an emotional reunion with the father he has not seen for more than 20 years.
Sanjay is set to embark on the trip of a lifetime later this year when he travels back to his homeland to climb the highest mountain on the continent of Africa in aid of a specialist hearing school.
The 35-year-old, who lives in Hatfield, is a talented motor vehicle engineer and airbrush artist tutor at Doncaster College for the Deaf.
He is using his holiday time to tackle the daunting ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro and he will also be seeing his father for the first time since he left for a new life in England 21 years ago.
The dad of two, who will tackle the 19,332 ft expedition with a group of other climbing enthusiasts, hopes to raise enough money to help the Aga Khan Primary School in his hometown of Arusha in Tanzania, so they can build their own well as they do not have their own water supply.
He also wants to buy new learning materials, including a video camera, overhead projectors, dustless chalk and books.
Sanjay has come a long way since his parents divorced in the late 1980s.
He left Tanzania when he was 15 to accompany his mother, brother and sister to England, while his father - Keshavlal - stayed behind in Arusha.
Sanjay felt it was his duty to help out children from his home town and now can't wait to see his father, who he hasn't seen since he left Arusha.
He said: "What will be amazing is raising all that money for children back home who don't have access to the best resources when growing up.
"And of course it will be fantastic to see my dad, who has kindly paid £3,000 for me to go up Kilimanjaro, after so long, as well as introducing my children to him for the first time."
African-born to Indian parents, Sanjay had no speech or sign ability until he came to the UK, when he enrolled at a deaf school in London.
With his passion for vehicles in the fast lane, he then went on to train at Doncaster College for the Deaf to carve himself a career in motor engineering and respraying – where he now works as a support teacher for both deaf and hearing impaired students hoping to learn the trade.
Sanjay, who has now reached level 2 in British Sign Language, added: "We had nothing like the vehicles here back in Africa so I had a real interest when I came to the UK.
"Although I find it difficult to understand some speech, I now find signing easy and can speak English - I couldn't speak at all when I lived in Tanzania.
"So I really enjoy living in Doncaster - plus both my children can chat away in English and sign, so they help my wife and I out when we hit the shops!"
Brave Sanjay will fly back to where he was born for the climb with his Zimbabwean wife Seema, aged 36, who is also deaf and his two hearing children, daughter Vanisha, aged seven, and son Vishal, aged four, who are excited to meet their granddad for the first time.
Sanjay said: "I'm confident about the climb and am training hard, running seven miles up to three times a week.
"You have to be fighting fit to climb a mountain of that height. There is also the atmosphere difference – which doesn't make breathing that easy.
"I can't wait to get to the top!"
Bobbie Roberts, Chair of Trustees at the Deaf College, said: "Sanjay is a real talent who has shown that overcoming obstacles such as being deaf and starting life in a new country should not hold you back.
"He is an asset to the college, and using his artistic flair in paint spraying and mechanics to support youngsters with their training.
"We wish him all the best with his brave fundraising mission to the top of Kilimanjaro, which is for a fantastic cause and will enable many promising students to achieve."
Mount Kilimanjaro, close to the border of Kenya, comprises three distinct volcanic cones and the national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
One of the cones, Kibo, remains active as a dormant volcano, and a strong smell of sulphur still emanates from the inner ash pit.
In 1889, German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller were the first to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro.
It is the tallest freestanding mountain rise in the world and around 25,000 people per year attempt to summit the top of Africa.
Kilimanjaro contains an example of virtually every ecosystem on earth – glacier, snowfields, deserts, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle, all of which are found on the mountain.