MKPS

The Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society (MKPS) has been founded by ZARA Tours in 2004 with the goal to improve the working condition of all porters on Mount Kilimanjaro and other hiking areas in Tanzania. A set of rules had been defined and the majority of Kilimanjaro operators have agreed to implement these basic terms which include:

• Porters must me appropriately dressed for the trek with warm clothing and waterproofs
• Porters must be adequately fed on the trip
• The load per porter must be limited to 20 kgs (15 kgs For ZARA porters)
• There must be adequate porter-client ratios (2 porters per client on the Marangu Route, 3 on others and 3 or 4 on the Lemosho Route).
• Porters, guides and cooks must be provided with a set wage. Clients should be advised to tip staff appropriately for their services at the end of the trek.

Today, most porters at Mount Kilimanjaro (and ALL porters of ZARA!) are members of the Society and can benefit from various ressources such as language classes, classes in environmentally sustainable tourism, healthcare and first-aid classes, training in providing customer services, classes to know their rights, legal advise, assistence in micro-finances to improve their family’s living conditions and guarantee a proper education of their children, year-round employment possibilities, and access to an affordable equipment and clothing store.

Mount Kilimanjaro porters at work:

Certificates for attandence of English and First-aid courses; First-aid course:

Matauna Mpemba, Chairman of the Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society: