<p><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><em>Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you are as inspired by the cause as I have been, and are able to give whatever you feel you can. Some of the students walk for hours to get to school each day, please help me to reward their efforts.</em></strong></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; color: #ff9900;"><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Challenge: </span><em>3 Peaks in 24 Hours!</em></span></strong></span></p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">On 9th -10th July 2011 I'll be taking part in the&nbsp;<strong><a style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #2a42c6; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Three_Peaks_Challenge">3 Peaks Challenge</a></strong>&nbsp;with a team of Warwick in Africa students - climbing the <strong>highest mountain</strong> in each of Scotland, England and Wales all within <strong>24 hours</strong>! For this challenging venture, I hope to raise as much money for Warwick in Africa as possible, to continue their amazing work.</p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #ff9900; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The Cause:&nbsp;<em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Warwick in Africa</em></strong></span></p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Last summer I was lucky enough to travel to the Alexandra township near Johannesburg, South Africa as part of the Warwick in Africa scheme. As part of a 12 person team, I spent 6 <strong>weeks teaching maths</strong> &nbsp;to high school students in one of the most <strong>deprived</strong> parts of the city. Here you are a <strong>lucky to find enough desks</strong> for all the students, a long way away from the interactive whiteboards we take for granted here.</p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The money raised is given to the student teachers on the scheme. The beauty of this is that they are able to assess first hand <strong>where the money could be best spent</strong>. Last year we spent much of our sponsorship money providing the students with calculators and revision guides, for which they were incredibly grateful.</p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">The current pass mark for students taking their final exams (matrics) is little over <strong>30%</strong> yet surprisingly many <strong>struggle to achieve</strong> this within Alexandra's schools. Just a little help with their education can make a huge difference to prospects of further education.</p> <p><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">During my time in Alex last summer there was a <strong>national teacher strike</strong> in the run up to final exams. We therefore decided to use some of the money we had raised to <strong>set up our own school</strong> in a local community centre, helping final years to <strong>prepare for exams</strong> in maths, physics and economics. With around <strong>200 students</strong> attending each day, it was a great success.</p> <p><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;"> </span></p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">Lenny Henry</span>&nbsp;</em></strong><strong style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><em style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">can tell you more about the scheme:</span><br /><span style="color: #ff9900;"><a style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: #2a42c6; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qutW3TwO0ak">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qutW3TwO0ak</a></span></em></strong></p> <p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; line-height: 19px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p>