This Man In Sabah Is Climbing Mt Kinabalu Backwards To Raise RM500,000 For His Community
The charity project is called 'Edward Gostaning'.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 29 Jan 2020, 04:16 PM
A 58-year-old Malaysian who holds a person with disabilities (OKU) card will be climbing Mount Kinabalu backwards with an aim to raise RM500,000
The man, Edward Taning, said that climbing the country's highest mountain the conventional way will just be normal for him.
At the age of nine, Edward was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a permanent movement disorder due to immature brain development, reported The Borneo Post.
Despite his condition, Edward is determined to make a round trip to Mount Kinabalu while walking backwards.
He said the challenge will take him six days to climb the 4km tall mountain
Edward, who works as a farmer in Kampung Mangkaladom, Kiulu, will start his journey on 8 March and return on 13 March.
"I will start from the Timpohon Gate. It will take me six days and five nights to complete the challenge," he told reporters at Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's office yesterday, 28 January.
According to a Mount Kinabalu travel website, it usually takes two days and one night to climb the 20th tallest mountain in the world.
Edward's quest aims to collect RM500,000 in funds to give back to the community in Ranau, Sabah
Calling the charity project 'Edward Gostaning Project Summit Kinabalu Jasamu Dikenang', the funds will be used to purchase a bus for the OKU in the Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PPDK) Ranau, build a school hall in SK Bundu Tuhan, and raise funds for the Asrama Malim Gunung Kinabalu.
Bernama reported that Shafie will be contributing RM95,000 to the cause.
(Fourth and firth from the left) Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Edward Taning.
Image via The Borneo PostHowever, this is not Edward's first attempt to climb Mount Kinabalu backwards
In 1992, he trailed backwards from Inanam all the way to the peak of Mount Kinabalu.
He took 61 hours (2.5 days) to pull off the impossible feat. He descended the mountain normally at that time.
In this new challenge, Edward is looking forward to break the Guinness World Records, or at the very least to mark his name in the Malaysia Book of Records again, reported The Borneo Post.
Speaking about his OKU condition, Edward said he has never let his disability be an excuse to not give back to society
"I have previously made history as the first Malaysian to climb Mount Kinabalu backwards in 1992," Bernama quoted Edward as saying.
"What I'm doing is not to gain popularity, I want to prove that people with disabilities can be successful. I will prove that age is also not a barrier to success."
In 2009, Edward walked backwards from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu to raise funds for the Seri Mengasih Centre, a non-governmental organisation that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Three years later, he did it again from Lahad Datu to Penampang. He walked backwards for a total of 404km to raise funds for Bukit Harapan, a rehabilitation centre for children with special needs and a shelter for abused women and children.
