Sehera summitted with her father, Roshan Bisnath, Grant Hall, Ferhad Ismail, Suhail Shahaboodien and Kimere Singh on July 24, at 8.12am.
The Ashton International College learner said reaching the roof of Africa in support of fellow young girls was an indescribable feeling.
“The months of preparation finally paid off, although no amount of physical training could have fully prepared me for the summit night,” said Sehera.
In a previous interview with the City Times, Sehera said instead of throwing a ‘Sweet-16’ bash, she wanted to raise funds for young girls who do not have access to sanitary wear.
Sehera, who turned 16 on May 23, said she only wanted two things for her birthday.
“I wanted a gift I could share with others and a gift of making a difference,” she said.
The Lakefield resident added that when she thought about this, she had to think about how young girls of her age were deprived of so many things, one of them being sanitary wear.
When asked about her experience, she said the summit night was the toughest.
“I was in a state of complete exhaustion with very little energy in the extreme temperatures,” said Sehera.
“It came down to me having to make the decision of whether to continue or to turn around. I made the decision to keep going by thinking of the cause, the young girls and all my supporters.”
She said eventually, they ended up reaching the summit after 10 hours of hiking through the night with a blizzard and temperature of minus 25.
The youngster’s English teacher, Lynda Steward, said the school is proud of Sehera’s achievement and that other learners were supportive throughout her journey.
“Even when she came back to school on August 1, she was surrounded by other learners wanting to know about her experience,” said Steward.
“We are proud that she chose to do this for a cause that will benefit other girls who are her age.” Sehera thanked
Steward for supporting her and organising her school life when she was absent from school.
The money raised will go to the non-profit organisation Dignity Dreams, which provides women and girls in need with re-usable, SABS absorbency approved sanitary wear and also educates them on menstrual health and hygiene.
The climb, known as #Sweet16Summit, was endorsed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The amount raised through the climb was not known at the time of going to print.
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