Hellooo Everybody!
This August, with a group of fellow students from the University of Nottingham, I will be attempting to climb the WORLD's highest freestanding mountain with the aim of raising £2200 for Childreach International.
Its going to be tough, but its a very worthy cause. Heres a bit of extra information, both on the charity and climb, so you can decide whether I really deserve your donation!
Childreach International is a charity with the sole aim of helping children in some of the most poverty-stricken areas on the planet.
Your donation alone could help children such as this cheeky Tanzanian chappy, http://picasaweb.google.com/childreachinternational/Tanzania#5265557303263264274, to enjoy a far greater quality of life as;
£2 pays for life-saving vaccinations for a mother and child in Nepal
£5 pays for an orphan in Tanzania to attend a vocational training cenre and work towards a recognised qualification and future
£400 pays for a water pump to be installed in an African village so children can get clean and safe water.
As you can see on the Childreach website, http://childreach.org.uk/index.php, the main aims are currently;
Clean Water - Girls as young as 5 may have to walk many miles to carry heavy buckets back to their homes wasting time they could be spending in school.
Child Health and Nutrition - Every year over 1.4 million children die from preventable diseases, many of which are directly linked to malnutrition.
Alternative Education - Over 120 million children don’t attend primary school regularly. Many more are never given the opportunity to attend secondary school.
Child Protection - Chidren are constantly under threat from civil war, domestic abuse and countless other methods of violence that vulnerable children are forced to endure.
Arguably one of the most rewarding parts of the trip will come after the climb when I will be able to visit some of the areas where the projects of Childreach are being carried out. This will allow me to see, first hand, how donated money is being used to help in these incredibly under-priviledged areas.
Mount Kilimanjaro is a truly terrifying beast, reaching up just under 4 miles vertically from the surrounding savannah with temperatures ranging from 40C at the bottom to -20C at the top.
During the climb, we will not only be battling exhaustion, dehydration and the extreme temperatures, but also a variety of altitude related illnesses such as AMS, HAPE, HACE and I suspect plenty more acronyms to make u shudder!
This will be exaggerated by the fact that we will attempt to complete the climb inside 6 days, a full two days less than 8 day ideal length of itinerary.
With a fair bit or training and determination, I am desperate, with you help, to raise as much money as possible for a fantastic cause while taking part in an unforgettable life experience.
Please dig deep into your pockets and be as generous as you can.
EVERY PENNY IS INVALUABLE. I CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP!
Thankyou so much in advance for your kindness
Ed 
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: ChildReach International gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
This means for every £1 you donate, an extra 28p is added to my final total! For example with the addition of Gift Aid, a donation of just £39 will be worth nearly £50. This will buy exercise books for a whole primary school in Uganda, whereas a donation of £315 will be boosted to £400 – enough to install a water pump in a village in Africa to ensure children have access to clean, safe water.
