Hi I'm going to be cycling the 300 miles from London to Paris starting on the 12th May in aid of the charity SOS Children's Villages and I hope you will help by making a donation to the work that they do. At Afren we have supported the work of SOS Children's Villages over the past couple of years and while working with them they have inspired me to make a personal effort  to help their cause. I spend a considerable amount of time in Africa and it is impossible to ignore the fact that many people are living difficult lives at or below the poverty line. As a father I am forever contrasting the lifestyle that my children take for granted against the limited opportunities faced by the poorest children in Africa. I've seen at first hand the fantastic work that SOS Children's Villages do and this is my opportunity and yours to support them. Please contribute generously and if you are in doubt take a look a the photos attached if you want to see the difference that SOS makes to the lives of the children they care for.

Here's a brief summary of the work that SOS Children do:

SOS Children, believe all children should belong to a family which is why we look after children who have lost their parents through war, famine, disease or poverty.

For nearly sixty years, SOS Children has developed an approach based on building a community for children who have nobody to turn to. Traditionally, they provide children with a home, a family and a new mother in a purpose-built local Village, where they can stay until they are ready for independent life. They currently run 500 of these unique SOS Children’s Villages, and 400 Youth Homes, caring directly for more than 78,000 children in 124 countries worldwide.

However, they don't just provide care for children in their Villages, but play an important role in supporting the development and sustainability of their local communities. They invest in the futures of thousands of children in the community, making sure they have the tools they need to become independent young adults.

They do this by building and running 231 SOS Nurseries and 185 Schools which are open to children in their care and to those from the wider community and 61 Vocational Training Centres which equip more than 174,000 children, teenagers and young adults with the practical skills they need to earn a living and lead independent lives.

In areas where medical support is scarce or non-existent, they build SOS Medical Centres which provide communities with immediate medical treatment and preventative and palliative care.

They also offer skills, training, education, counselling, micro-loans and improved nutrition to vulnerable families so they are able to provide for their children and stay together through difficult times.

For more information visit their website: http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/