Helping kids climb out of Rio's Shantytowns
Y
ou might think with Rio de Janeiro having large granite faces running through it that it would be a great place to learn to climb, and it may be for some, but for others less fortunate the rock is just a distant backdrop to a daily struggle.
Two spirited climbers, Asa Firestone and Andrew Lenz, looked to change things for some of the kids in the poorer areas of the city, with
the hope to boost their confidence, and give them a chance to learn and grow in
an environment other than in the harsh neighbourhoods they live in.
The work Asa and Andrew have done there is simply wonderful and taking the sport to a new level. Outside Magazine have done a great story on the challenges and achievements they faced in their path to help some of the kids in Rio. You can see Outside’s full story here.
Asa has started a company called BEYONDGear with the aim to further build on the work done in Rio, you can visit it here, and you can also see the projects Facebook page here.