Three Former Orphans Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to Promote Adoption

This February, three former orphans from Ukraine will take on a daunting feat—climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain (19,341 feet) in the world. Sergei, Slava and Andrei aren’t tackling Mt. Kilimanjaro for the adventure of it—they are climbing to promote adoption in Africa! Over the past few years, these boys have seen a drastic increase in the number of adoptions within Ukraine, including themselves! Through this incredible climb and by sharing their stories, they hope Christians in Africa will also be motivated to adopt.

In addition to climbing Sergei, Slava and Andrei will:

Share their stories of adoption in African churches
Meet with leaders of African orphan care ministries and Africa Without Orphans
Promote adoption through social media, video, and photos taken throughout their climb

Three Former Orphans Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to Promote Adoption Andrei’s story: Andrei’s family started to fall apart when he was very young. His parents divorced, and his mother became an alcoholic. When Andrei was just 6 years old, his oldest brother hung himself and his other brother was placed in a mental institution. At that point, Andrei ran away and began to live on the streets. He lived on the streets for 6 years, using drugs, glue, and alcohol. But everything changed for Andrei when he was taken into a Christian rehab center for street kids. From there, he learned the love of his Heavenly Father, and eventually was adopted into the family of an earthly father Gennady, who will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with Andrei. And this isn’t the first mountain they’ve climbed together! The picture above is of them on Mt. Elbrus. When not climbing mountains, Andrei is busy studying guitar at a music conservatory. Help Andrei share his story and inspire others to adopt!