Muath Freij, The Jordan Times

AMMAN — A group of 24 Jordanian figures, including HRH Prince Mired, plan to set off for Mount Kilimanjaro next February to raise funds for the King Hussein Cancer Centre’s (KHCC) expansion project.

The expedition follows a recent trek led by Jordanian mountaineer Mostafa Salameh to Mount Everest, which concluded in April this year, to raise funds for the KHCC expansion. The 21-member team sought to raise $1 million.

“The target was set to collect $1 million, but we only managed to raise $600,000,” Salameh told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

The mountaineer said the new trek to Africa’s highest mountain is aimed at raising more money for the KHCC.

Salameh, the first Arab who reached the summit of Mount Everest, said the team will journey to Kilimanjaro on February 4, 2014 after they hold a symbolic walk along the shores of the Dead Sea.

“It will take us eight days to conclude the journey,” he told reporters at a press conference, noting that each member of the team will cover the expenses of his/her journey.  

Salameh said he chose the first 10 members of the team, adding that “we selected the rest of the team through applications we received”.

Hanna Khouri, one of the team members, said he wanted to take part in the expedition for two reasons.

“I suffer from obesity; I weigh 240 kilogrammes, so I don’t only want to help cancer patients in Jordan, but also want to challenge obesity,” he noted.

Khouri added that he wanted to show people who suffer from obesity that they have to lose weight by practising sports and not by resorting to surgery.  

“Salameh told me that if I lose 50 kilogrammes, I will be able take part in the journey, so I am working on it,” he said with a smile.  

The cancer centre expansion project, expected to cost $186 million, consists of two new buildings, according to a KHCC statement made available to The Jordan Times.

The new project is expected to enable the KHCC to accommodate 7,000 patients annually instead of 3,000, as well as 150,000 outpatients instead of the current 100,000, the statement said.