Greetings All!
I am embarking on a journey that is two fold, and need your help.  Charity and Challenge.
The Charity part involves fundraising for an organization that serves East Africa region, as well as over 30 countries of the poorest regions in the world.  The Challenge is a trek up Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

The Charity:  Volunteer Service Organization (VSO) is the largest independent charity in the world, working through volunteers. Instead of sending money, food or clothes, they send people from a range of professions who want to make a difference by sharing their professional skills and experience with local people. VSO volunteers work in six specific areas: HIV and AIDS, disability, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, education, health and well-being.
My goal is to raise $5000 US dollars for the VSO program and trek. The proceeds will target projects specifically for East Africa, such as Kenya and Tanzania. This aid could not be timed better, as this region has been forefront in the news due to recent political turmoil. If I do not raise enough by April 25th, I will not be able to participate in the Challenge in late June 2008.
An example of what your donation might provide……
£50: provides HIV/AIDS training VSO volunteers to raise awareness
£250: helps a VSO volunteer to train 20 local teachers in special teaching methods for Special Needs Units in Kenya.
£1000: helps to fund a community-initiated VSO project to help to set up small enterprises run by local communities.
Note donations are in GBP, so roughly 1 GBP = 1.95 USD. See converter
http://www.xe.com/ucc/

The Challenge:  Accenture partners with VSO to help raise funds and provide expert resources for assignments. I am joining an international team of coworkers to raise money and trek. We will spend a few days at a VSO site in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania to support HIV based community programs, before starting the 7 day hike.
Five different climate zones circle Kilimanjaro, and my climb will ascend through farmland, rainforest, heath and moorland, across high altitude desert and finally to the glacier zones of the summit. The summit day will require 16 hrs of hiking. We get up shortly after midnight and start the trek.
Some other challenges include: months of training and fundraising in British pounds with a weaker USD, personal expenses for flights/travel/supplies,setc, 5 flight layovers, 10+ hr bus rides through the African bush, desert heat, temperatures as low as -28C, altitude sickness, 5 vaccinations, 2 visas, Malaria medication…and a partridge in a pear tree….

Some of you I have not spoken in a while, so I am sorry that my first correspondence in years is asking to support a charity. I hope all is well and in good health. If you have any fundraising ideas(or non-monetary things to donate for a raffle, etc) in the Austin, Atlanta or San Francisco, please let me know.

Best wishes
Rob Sexton