Struggling to breathe high on Mount Kilimanjaro, Saint Lucian humanitarian Marcus “Mufasa” Joseph twice considered abandoning his climb. But the causes he carried—and his faith—helped him press towards the summit with Saint Lucia’s flag.
“It was extremely difficult for me to breathe,” said Joseph, founder and director of Kairos Konnection, who led a group of Saint Lucian humanitarians on the expedition. “I almost gave up twice.”
The climb supported cancer awareness, efforts to combat violence in Saint Lucia, and assistance for orphans and widows. It also marked 30 years of Kairos Konnection’s humanitarian work around the world.
Speaking ahead of his scheduled return to Saint Lucia at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Joseph described the journey as “a life-changing experience”—one that tested months of preparation against the demands of Africa’s highest mountain.
The idea took shape after a water-well project in Zambia last year. When Joseph learnt that a Caribbean friend had established a school in Tanzania, he decided to help finance its expansion and combine the visit with a Kilimanjaro climb for several charitable causes.
To prepare, the team undertook monthly long-distance hikes to waterfalls across Saint Lucia, trained extensively in the gym and climbed Gros Piton. Joseph also spent a night on Mount Gimie as part of his preparations.
On Kilimanjaro, however, the thin air above 19,000 feet became his greatest obstacle. Joseph said he had not taken the altitude medication Diamox and struggled severely to breathe as the climb progressed.
Other members of the group also encountered difficulties. According to Joseph, guides assisted some climbers to lower elevations after they developed symptoms of altitude sickness.
As exhaustion and doubt set in, the reasons behind the expedition became a source of strength. “Everyone had a cause for climbing,” Joseph said, explaining that he focused on that purpose and gave “God thanks for every step.”
He also encouraged teammates who were struggling to continue. For Joseph, reaching the summit with the national flag made the demanding journey deeply personal: “The thrill of carrying your nation to the top, words cannot describe it.”
Beyond the summit, one lesson stayed with him. Guides repeatedly used the Swahili expression “pole pole,” meaning “slowly, slowly”—words that became a reminder to pace himself through the challenge.
As Joseph put it, “Kilimanjaro taught me to take life one step at a time.”
