1 month and 25 days- that is how long it took Elia Saikaly to climb to the highest point in the world- the summit of Mt Everest. At 8848m, it is a gigantic mass of snow, rock and ice - notorious for claiming the lives of those who attempt to conquer it. Elia was one of the fortunate ones, all in the name of Lebanon and Philanthropy: the two pillars that Climb 4 Lebanon is founded on. Through this journey, he has managed to raise funds for ChildHaven International to help with the much-needed expansion of their schools in Nepal. All along the way, Elia raised awareness for this cause as well as the importance of helping people that are less fortunate than ourselves. Saikaly, representing the Republic of Lebanon during his climb becomes the 2nd (and youngest) Lebanese National to summit Mt Everest. He is a trustee of Climb 4 Lebanon, an organization that is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for worthy causes in Lebanon using the medium of mountaineering (please visit www.climb4lebanon.com for more detail). Climb 4 Lebanon was founded in London in 2007 and has since managed to raise just under 3mio US Dollars to go towards worthy causes through corporate and individual sponsorships of climbs at high altitude. Saikaly, a philanthropist, filmmaker and Founder of ‘FindingLife’ is returning to Mt. Everest and this time he is taking hundreds of Canadian school kids with him. Over 130 schools followed his expedition.
Through the use of innovative technology Saikaly and his team created incredible content on Mt. Everest that was accessed on a daily basis. Expedition 2010 was a shared experience for thousands following the journey. Students and fellow Lebanese around the world were taken to the mountain from their computer screens and communicated with the expedition team via Skype, Sat Phone and BGAN satellite Internet network technology.
“Expedition 2010 will be their lasting legacy. By giving back, we’re teaching students that they have the power to change the world,” says Saikaly.  “Expedition 2010’s goal is to spark the imagination, inspire students everywhere and to serve as the catalyst for youth engagement and lasting positive change. We hope we can replicate the same thing with schools across Lebanon.”