ABOUT GEORGINA

How the campaign got started. . .

What started out in looking for a new hair cut idea, turned into a campaign to raise support and awareness for women in Congo by climbing the world’s 7 summits. Sound a little crazy...probably.

In late 2007 after coming across an article depicting the violence against women taking place in the Congo (Glamour Magazine-read the article), I decided to create the Climb Take Action~7 Summits Challenge initiative geared at raising funds and awareness for women in Congo as I attempted to fulfil my dream of climbing the world’s Seven Summits. It was unfathomable and unacceptable to me that thousands of women and girls were being sexually abused and that rape was used as a weapon of war and that no one knew about it. My goal is to raise awareness to this crisis and help provide the necessary physical, emotional, and economic relief needed by these women in order to help them empower themselves. I figured people run marathons, participate in triathlons, etc for charity; why not climb?

I hope others will join us in this initiative.

In researching various humanitarian organizations actively working with these women, I discovered International Medical Corps, and was extremely impressed with their dedicated efforts in the Congo for the past decade and their overlying objective of going from relief to self-reliance. Also Eve Ensler's organization V-DAY was doing remarkable work in DRC and she was my source of inspiration with her article, thus our efforts also support her work.

Being the amateur climber that I am, climbing the 7 summits is no easy feat. It requires extensive training, mental preparation, and commitment. Yet, reaching the 7 is a life dream of mine and my idea of the ultimate personal challenge. I am 100% committed to achieving my dream and helping others along the way. So far I have completed five of the seven summits and off to my second attempt at my sixth, Mt. Everest in April 2013l!! In 2011 I made it to the Balcony of Everest 8400m. 

Good health is the key to any person being able to function and succeed in life. Join me in helping International Medical Corps (IMC) and VDAY, improve the health and well-being of thousands of women and children affected by war and chronic poverty in Congo.  All donations are tax deductible. Every little bit makes a difference. I understand that aid is needed here at home and in many parts of the world, yet the humanitarian crisis occurring  in these regions and the violence targeted at women and girls is unlike any. Every little bit helps!

These are everyday women like you, me, our mothers, our sisters, our friends, or our children that are suffering and have undergone experiences you or I could probably not imagine. They need our help for basic survival and to begin their road to empowerment. Although this is an extreme and complex problem, there is something all of us can do to help.

I encourage you to read through our site, learn about these women, they are strong and resilient, and they need our help. It is truly remarkable what some of these women have endured and yet survive and continue to fight to live and support their families. They are true image and symbol of strength and my motivating force. These climbs are for them! I know I cannot personally imagine enduring some of the abuse.

Not everyone dreams of climbing the 7 summits, but everyone does have a dream. My advice for what it’s worth, is to Go For It!  Life is too short and we all have the power to make a difference :-)

Start making a difference today and join us in our efforts!

Warmest Wishes,

Georgina Miranda

The extraordinary is always possible. . Never limit yourself or life's potential. GM

Bio . . .

In late 2007, Georgina Miranda, an adventurer at heart and committed to being a leader in social responsibility, founded "Climb Take Action," a campaign dedicated to empowering women in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo with the goal of raising funds and awareness by climbing the seven summits, a challenge consisting of climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. To date she has reached five of the seven. Statistically, rape in Eastern Congo is considered to be the worst in the world. While the war officially came to an end years ago, the eastern part of DRC remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis zones - violence is rampant and rape against women and children continues to escalate. Public support of private organizations dedicated to this cause is essential.

Georgina is currently a Management Consultant for the international business consultancy, McKinney Rogers, and has a diverse business background across various functions and industries. She has held roles in Fortune 100 companies such as Raytheon and Johnson and Johnson and currently advises clients such as Walmart and Bacardi in the areas of Strategy Execution and High Performing Team Development.

Georgina is a native Los Angelino and has lived up and down the West Coast. She received a Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of San Diego.

While completing her MBA at LMU and working full-time, Georgina decided to take a rock climbing class in order to just let loose and get away from the corporate world and books for a couple hours a week. She was immediately hooked and also began to do more local day hikes with friends and her dad. By the time the MBA program was through, the initial thought of someday reaching the Seven Summits had broken through in early 2006.