Governor Spotlight: Steve & Amy Sirich

Steve Sirich has always been an endurance athlete, so when his friend Greg Nelson mentioned that Opportunity International was beginning to discuss a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, his ears immediately perked up.

“I had always been curious about Kilimanjaro,” Steve shared. “So it felt a bit like a when, not an if.”

Two years later, Steve had his opportunity—but a lot had changed in his personal life. He had suffered an injury that left him on a long recovery plan, and he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. These hurdles made training different than ever before, but Steve still said yes to the invitation to join Team Opportunity, sensing that God was asking him to walk in faith and challenging him to trust in new ways.

Over the next several months, Steve and his teammates tackled an intense training plan and raised funds from their friends and family, all in support of mothers in Malawi.

Then, in July, Steve and his wife Amy boarded a flight to Kenya to begin their first trip to Africa.

Experiencing the Natural Beauty of Africa

To give themselves time to acclimate to the region, adjust after a long trip, and experience the natural beauty of the Masai Mara, Steve and Amy decided to start their trip with a visit to Kenya. They spent time with Opportunity board member Ken Wathome and his wife Jane, were introduced to incredible people, and went on safari.

“The safari was a big ‘WOW!’ for me,” Amy shared. “It had been a bucket list experience for me, but I’d love to do it again—so I don’t think I’m going to check it off yet.” The Siriches loved seeing God’s creation up close, and their time in Kenya prepared them for the next phase of their journey—Steve’s Kilimanjaro climb.

 Climbing Kilimanjaro

As Steve and his teammates began their journey up the mountain, the relationships that had started on weekly Zoom calls and text updates took on a new life. “God really ordained the people that were brought together for the climb,” he said. “We came from all over the U.S., and it was a diverse group in terms of gender and age, but we were so commonly united around the mission of Opportunity and our faith that it made it easy for us to bond.”

“Whenever you put yourself in a powerful, unique experience that requires so much of you, you recognize that those outside the experience won’t fully understand what you went through,” Steve added. “It becomes a bond that is never really broken—you’ve done something unique and challenging at all levels, and you did it together. You achieved success because you did it together.”

In addition, 31 porters and four guides accompanied the team, bringing warmth, smiles, and unconditional support. As Steve explained, “It was extraordinary. They are wonderful people. Even if we never see each other again, we have an eternal relationship.”

With the help of the support staff and the encouragement of the entire team, all eight Team Opportunity climbers made it to the summit. As Steve wrote to his friends and family, “On Saturday, July 13 at 10 a.m. (day 6 of climbing), we successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Our team of eight climbers accompanied by four Tanzanian guides all made the summit of 19.341 feet…God was with us throughout this mountain top experience as evidenced by the beautiful revelation of His creation, but also by the peace and strength each of us felt as we pushed for the summit.”

The Second Summit

Summiting Kilimanjaro wasn’t the only high point of the trip. After making their way down the mountain, Team Opportunity then traveled to Malawi to meet the women for whom they had been climbing.

“Throughout all of our training, we were raising funds for The Rise program,” Steve shared. “But until you’re on the ground, it’s really hard to understand what this walk looks like. It was an incredible gift, after asking our communities to support us and this climb to serve Malawian women and families, to get to sit with them and understand the impact.”

“We loved every minute of every day we spent with these women,” Amy added. “Their joy, their excitement—we felt so welcomed, and we experienced so much genuine joy and love.”

Steve and Amy were so impressed with the program they experienced, and so inspired by the way these incredible women are finding peace, joy, contentment, and personal growth through The Rise.

“This is one of the best-kept secrets in the philanthropic world,” Steve reflected. “Not a lot of people we talked to had any prior knowledge of Opportunity International, so my hope is that [through our climb] we’ve impacted a whole new community of donors.”

“This work is reversing the generational cycle of poverty in communities that are very much in need of that impact. It’s one thing to donate for aid, but it’s another to donate to break the cycle of poverty.”

What Comes Next 

Now back at home in Seattle, Steve and Amy are sharing about their trip with friends—and encouraging their community to travel in a similar way.

“The way we chose to see Africa through the lens of Opportunity was an extraordinary gift,” Steve said. “It became a life-changing, transformational experience, instead of a transactional one.”

And for those who are considering their own Team Opportunity challenge?

“Go for it!” Steve advises. “If you have the opportunity to have one of these experiences, absolutely go for it.”