From the house to the heights: ministers climb Africa’s tallest peak for abuse survivors

Published on Jan 16, 2026 at 10:51

By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

You start your quest up Mount Kilimanjaro as one person, and you finish it as someone else.

A similar refrain leaves the lips of many who’ve trekked through four climatic zones and thinning oxygen to reach the summit of one of Earth’s most sacred and storied mountains.

But the calling goes beyond personal growth for two colleagues from the floor of the Alberta legislature.

Part of a group of 10 or so trekkers, Demetrios Nicolaides and Todd Loewen hope the journey dubbed Melanie’s Ascent improves the lives of countless Albertans, most of whom they’ll never meet — people forced to protect themselves and their families from domestic violence.

The project is deeply personal for Nicolaides, the event’s creator and the minister of education and childcare.

The climb begun earlier this week is named after his younger and only sister Melanie, who died two years ago at the hands of her estranged and rage-filled husband.

Nicolaides came up with the Kilimanjaro idea after turning to the great outdoors for solace. Climbing and hiking helped him cope with the grief and anger that swept over him after Melanie’s death.

The fundraiser to protect others from domestic violence was a logical next step. And having a friend from the legislature at his side makes it even more special, he said.

Loewen is “a selfless person and I’m honoured to embark on this journey with him,” the member for Calgary-Bow said in an emailed statement before leaving for Tanzania.

For his part, hunter and outdoors enthusiast Loewen said choosing to join his friend was a no-brainer — nearly.

“Almost a year ago, he was talking about it and I was really intrigued,” said Loewen, the minister of forestry and parks. “So he just came right out with it and said, hey, would you go along on this?”

Loewen took a few weeks to make sure he could fit the climb into his life. 

“Then I got back to him and said that I’m in,” the member from Central Peace-Notley recounted in an interview with The Macleod Gazette.

“It’s been great to go along with him during the planning and seeing everything come to fruition,” Loewen said a few days before his flight.

“He’s done all the work on this; he’s really done a lot to make it all happen. And I’ve been all too happy to join in the experience and help where I can.”

 So far, so good.

The hikers are nearing the final push to a spectacular view atop the world’s tallest free-standing mountain at 5,895 metres above sea level.

And the fundraising element of Melanie’s Ascent is reaching incredible heights, too. At the time of this writing, donations had ticked more than $10,000 past an updated goal of $250,000, which itself is two and a half times the original target.

Proceeds are earmarked for the creation of a new program to help people suffering from domestic abuse purchase personal and home security devices.

The supported charity is FearIsNotLove, a recent iteration of what used to be called the Calgary Women’s Shelter. The name change in 2022 reflects the group’s full scope of programming and resources for women, men and children.

Said Loewen: “I can’t imagine what (Nicolaides) went through in the whole experience leading up to this. His idea to turn this tragedy into something good by bringing about awareness and fundraising to help victims of domestic violence, and how he’s held himself — it’s just been very inspirational to watch.”

Loewen has gone through nothing comparable.

“Everybody’s experience is different, and this stuff is foreign to me. I can’t understand what goes through people’s minds to think that (domestic violence) is OK. I can’t even imagine what he’s been through.”

Many Albertans, however, can.

According to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, about two-thirds of the province’s residents say they either know someone who’s been sexually or physically assaulted or have been themselves.

Most incidents are either domestic assaults or assaults committed by someone known to the person attacked.

It’s estimated that one in three people in Alberta will experience domestic assault in their lifetime.

Joining Loewen and Nicolaides to help change those troubling statistics, one step at a time, are friends of Melanie’s, volunteers from past political campaigns, and even some folks Nicolaides doesn’t know.

They began their ascent in the rainforest. Next is a zone of heath and moorland, where tropical temperatures during the day and winter-like nights have created a landscape of scrubby, hardy and strange-looking plants.

After that is an alpine zone: barren, rocky and dusty with not much plant life. And finally comes the arctic zone of rock, scree, ice and snow, where the air’s oxygen content will be about 50 per cent of what it is at sea level.

Widely considered a moderately difficult climb, it’s that oxygen change that makes the Shining Mountain a challenge for even seasoned hikers.

Fitness work and prep climbs were essential, including a whirlwind trip to Colorado for “a bunch of climbs” over about three days, Loewen said.

“It was a bit of an eye opener at 10,000 feet to start hiking and feel that difference in oxygen,” he recalls.

Nicolaides said: “I want to thank Todd for joining me on the climb to take a stand against domestic violence. He’s a great friend and has helped push me on many of our practice hikes.

“He’s motivated me during training, including hitting the stairs between meetings in the legislature.”

For Loewen’s part, he said the experience will be life-changing while strengthening his friendship with Nicolaides.

“We were always pretty good friends. He’s spent time up in my area, stayed in my home. I’ve campaigned for him. So we’ve had that kind of connection,” he said. “But I think this will be good for us.”

Bonds were also built with the others, sometimes through video meetings as they shared ideas and research about the coming adventure.

“Everybody I’ve met and spent time with and chatted with has been fantastic, and everybody’s got the same goal in mind. We want to climb the mountain. So there’s the physical part of it.

“But most importantly, and what’s going to make the difference down the road for society, is the awareness and the money we raise.”

 More Information

To become a donor, visit melaniesascent.ca.

Find out more about FearIsNotLove at fearisnotlove.ca.

And use the search terms family violence Alberta to find a list of resources and contact numbers for support right now.