Kirstenhof native Kay Bodanza takes on Everest challenge for charity

Kay Bodanza and her family are set to take on the Mount Everest challenge at the beginning of next month for a good cause.

Ms Bodanza, 47, is currently living and working in Lugano, Switzerland with her family. She was born in Kirstenhof, though she spent the early years of her life on Robben Island as her father, Michiel Vosloo, was a prison guard who lived on Robben Island during the time that the late former president, Nelson Mandela, was held prisoner there.

Ms Bodanza also went to Bergvliet High. This is the second time that she will be attempting to summit to the Mount Everest base camp, as she previously accomplished that feat at the age of 28.

During that time, she raised funds for the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), which her mother, Wendy Vosloo, was part of. She also supported the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and the Emirates Diving Association. (“Bergvliet’s Kathy takes on Everest Challenge,” Constantiaberg Bulletin, Thursday, November 2, 2006)

In 2006, she completed the trek with seven other hikers and a team of sherpas, local residents who assist climbers along the route. This time, she will be joined by her husband, Ivan Bodanza, and their two daughters, Aurora, 11, and Stella, 7, with support once again from a team of sherpas, she said.

“When I did it in 2006, I was not mentally and emotionally prepared then. I always told myself that when I am older, I want to do this trip again, I want to do it properly, I want to be self-aware and prepared."

She said she would pack better this time for her trip and take more medical supplies with her. Ms Bodanza, who lives near the Swiss Alps, said she and her family trained better.

“We did many altitude hikes for many weeks, so physically, mentally, and emotionally, we are better prepared,” she said.

Ms Bodanza, who works in the healthcare industry supporting mothers after childbirth, has visited an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal, several times. She said she and her family will undertake the hike to raise funds for the orphanage. So far, she has raised more than 3 000 Swiss Francs (about R65 000) on the GoFundMe platform, which amounts to over 530 000 Nepali Rupees, she said.

Shesaid they would have liked to have raised enough funds to support the orphanage for a year, though they understand that the economic climate is tough to raise money.

“So with what we raised, we are able to support the orphanage for four months, which will support their rent, the utilities, staff salaries, school fees, clothing and food,” she said.

Ms Bodanza says they are expected to land in Kathmandu at the beginning of next month and would then trek to the Everest base camp, which is a 12-day round trip that will be more than 130km long.

“We are excited to go there, Nepal is welcoming, Kathmandu is a melting pot of religion and culture,” she said.