There is a well-known Kurdish Proverb, ‘The Kurds have no friends but the mountains.’ And this summer, KHRP legal intern, Ann Schutte, will become extremely well-acquainted with the closer-to-home mountain range between France and Spain when she embarks on an impressive hike across the entire Pyrenees, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The route is 900km in length, with 49,000m of ascent and descent - the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest over five times!

With the possibility of summer snow, daily thunderstorms, vipers and bears, she has decided that the only safe and sensible option is to camp. If all goes according to plan, she is hoping to complete the trek within 6 weeks.

Ann’s goal is to raise vital funds for KHRP, to help combat the historic discrimination which remains at the root of the widespread human rights abuses endured by people living in the Kurdish regions — including over 30 million Kurds indigenous to this mountainous expanse — across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus. Commenting on the challenge, Ann said, ‘I am hoping the trek will be an adventure, as well as a physical and mental challenge. Raising funds for a great cause may not fix my blisters, but it will make the effort worthwhile!’

If you’d like to support Ann or just learn a bit more about her awe-inspiring adventure, please visit Ann’s JustGiving page today. You can also follow her progress by visiting Ann's Amazing Pyrenees Trek on KHRP’s Facebook event page.

‘Ann’s trek is such an inspiration to all of us. We cannot thank her enough for choosing to support KHRP in this way and shining a light on the need for international support of everyone living in the Kurdish regions. We wish her luck, good weather and health! I’m excited to read about her adventure’, said KHRP’s Managing Director, Rachel Bernu.