What do these four countries have in common – Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda? These countries (amongst many others) have children who struggle to get through each day in the war-torn zones. They are also the countries that a small organisation, War Child (http://www.warchild.org.uk/), are working in to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable.

War Child is a small international charity that works with local partners in the above countries to provide a number of services for children who are too often forgotten in the aftermath of conflict. And in order to raise awareness of their work, as well as to financially support their cause, a few friends and I have decided to use our impending hike in the Alps to show our support.

From August 16 – 20, five of us will attempt to climb Mont Blanc (4,810m / 15,782ft) which is the highest mountain in the Alps and is ranked 11th in the world in terms of topographic prominence. As we ascend via the Gouter route we'll have to cope with acclimatising, low temperatures, high winds, icy terrain, possible avalanches, and of course the very real risk of fatality, but we are all very determined to achieve the accolate of having climbed one of Europe's highest mountains.

Despite the struggles we'll encounter whilst climbing "La Dame Blanche", these are tiny when compared with the daily battles children in conflict zones have to endure. Whilst we thank you for your support and encouraging words, we further implore you to spare a couple of minutes of your time and make a small donation which will have such a LARGE impact on the lives of these children.

For more details about the work the charity does, please look at the following press pack: http://www.warchild.org.uk/sites/default/files/War-Child-Press-Pack-Online.pdf.

If you've made it this far then please don't just nod and close the link. Please kindly donate. If you postpone your donation till later then please remember your pledge.

Thanks and much appreciated!