Pinay domestic helper aims to plant PHL flag on Mt. Everest neighbor

Nearly two decades' worth of hiking and two years of saving up holidays and cash culminated in a climb up a 6,189-meter-high mountain in the Himalayas Region for Filipina domestic helper Liza Avelino.

A report on the South China Morning Post said Avelino's 22-day journey to Island Peak, a neighbor of the 8,848 meter-high Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, is currently on its first week.

The report said Avelino hopes to plant a Philippine flag on Island Peak after 15 days of trekking from an Everest Base Camp.

“It’s not going to be easy as Island Peak has mixed rock and ice walls and a slope of around 45 degrees that leads to a narrow summit ridge. Yes, I’m nervous but I’m also very excited!” the 43-year-old Avelino said in her page on the fundraising site Just Giving.

Dreams

Avelino, who has been working as a maid in Hong Kong for 19 years, told the South China Morning Post that she dreamed of traveling the world when she was little, but her Davao City-based farmer parents couldn't afford to send her to school, much less on extravagant tours abroad.

She said her employer encouraged her to do "something more" on her weekends, leading her to read a book on guided walks for historical battlefields in the Central Library.

From hiking, Avelino began making trails with a hiking group and organizing races, even finishing under 35 hours for the 100-kilometer Oxfam Trailwalker race in 2010 and 2011.

Before beginning her climb to Island Peak in eastern Nepal, Avelino went to northern Japan in 2014 for a three-day climb on the 3,180-meter Mount Yarigatake.

Can't wait!

Avelino was able to undertake the monumental task of climbing Island Peak by saving her salary and bonuses, and through donations in money and equipment by fellow hikers and friends.

“I can’t wait to be there and I can’t wait to stand on Island Peak and feel that release of freedom and liberation I always feel when I conquer a challenge,” she said on Just Giving.

Years of working eased her family's burden in the Philippines, allowing her to save money for her needs. Her success enabled her to help Enrich, a non-government organization that teaches financial literacy to domestic helpers by redirecting potential donors to invest in the NGO instead of her climbs. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News