We’re Team4Tech Fellows and Cadence employees, Alex Leigh and Charis Kalantzi, who took advancing quality education to new heights (literally!).
Through Cadence’s employee engagement program, we volunteered together on a Team4Tech project in Cambodia. The project supported a Team4Tech nonprofit partner’s staff in leveraging technology to accelerate their impact. The experience was life-changing and led to an idea.
As two friends and colleagues passionate about making an impact, love nature and hiking, and love learning about different cultures and civilizations, we thought…
“Why not challenge ourselves with an 8-day backpacking trek in Patagonia with a greater motive: Organize a fundraiser for a nonprofit partner organization of Team4Tech?”
Because we would be hiking in South America, we wanted to choose a Team4Tech nonprofit partner doing amazing work in education and community development in the region. Therefore, we chose to support Projeto Arrastão, a nonprofit that advances quality education for learners living in poverty in the Campo Limpo region of Brazil. As a Team4Tech strategic nonprofit partner, they provide Projeto Arrastão with an annual matched technology grant of $15,000 and skilled volunteers, free tech training, and coaching to complement the grant funding!
To get things moving, we worked with Team4Tech staff to set up a fundraising page to raise the $15,000 technology grant for Projeto Arrastão, which Team4Tech distributes as part of their partnership with Projecto Arrastão.
To date, we have raised $6,500! The best part is that donations are matched at a 1:1 ratio by Projeto Arrastão and the Hopper-Dean Foundation, which means the total raised to date is $19,500!
Even though we have finished our trek, you can still donate today to help us raise even more money to advance quality education with Team4Tech and their partners!*
Highlights From Our Trek
On March 10, we set out to complete the Torres del Paine “O” Circuit trek. The “O” Circuit is a 136km (85-mile) backpacking route in Patagonia’s beautiful Torres del Paine National Park. What an experience!
Patagonia is justifiably considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. There were days along the trek when we would think, “This looks too perfect to be real.” From encountering wild horses to admiring the reflections of the surrounding grandiose mountains in pristine lakes to standing next to the vast and magnificent Grey Glacier, which is the third-largest icefield in the world, Torres del Paine is truly an incredible place.
Our experience on the trek was varied. Some days included lighter tracking among valleys with scenic views of the mountains above, while other days lasted 12 hours on steep slopes, complete with scrambling through boulders and 82km/h winds. These high winds are a signature of the Patagonia region! However, there was never a day that, even through the blisters and heavy backpacks, we didn’t feel amazed and filled with gratitude.
Another highlight was the path through the renowned French Valley and the ascent to Mirador Britanico, where you can catch some of the best views of Cuernos del Paine, the impressive spiky granite peaks that stand at over 2000m high. And last but not least, the (quite literally) breathtaking and steep ascent to Base las Torres, where the stunning view of the Torres del Paine peaks is second to none!
Being able to experience this and raise money for such an important and impactful cause was perhaps one of the most efficient and fulfilling ways we could spend our time!
We are truly grateful to everybody who supported this fundraiser. When we started the project, we didn’t really know what to expect. We were new to this, but we thought we had a good idea. We were so thrilled to see the final number and so happy that we were able to reach and exceed the target.
To summarize, as the sore legs from walking 136km faded, we became sure that the natural wonders we were lucky to see with our own eyes during the O-trek would remain vibrant in our memories!
We can only feel gratitude about the positive impact this adventure will have for Projeto Arrastão!
Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far! We are so grateful to have such a wonderful community that cares about creating equity in education! If you haven’t yet donated, you can do so here.
With gratitude,
Alex & Charis