This Friday I, with seven other Radley boys and four teachers ,will be giving up the greater part of our weekend exeat break to attempt the Three Peaks Challenge. Leaving school at 6 in the morning, we will drive up to Ben Nevis (1,344m) and scale it, aiming to return back to the minibus before nightfall. We will then proceed to drive to Scafell Pike (978m) and start our ascent at around 2am, doing the whole thing in the dark.Finally if all goes well we aim to start the ascent of Snowdon (1,085m) at 9am on Saturday and be down within 24 hours of starting at Ben Nevis.  

I will be doing this in the name of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). JRS works in service of all forcibly displaced people across the globe: a problem that has become very apparent given the current refugee crisis. JRS embodies service with compassion.  Although it is a Catholic organisation, JRS works for people in need across all cultures and religions.

The main areas of work are in emergency assistance, education, livelihood activities, healthcare and social services. JRS also advocates on behalf of refugees and actively supports human rights work. When Pope Francis was asked what he believed the Jesuits should focus on, he pointed to the work of JRS as one of only two major priorities.  

When I read the news, and the interviews of young people like me who were in school a year or two ago, but are now forced from their homes by wars and living in tent cities, I believe we should all care more about the mission of compassion that stands at the core of what the JRS does. This may one day happen to someone we know and care about. I know you get many calls for donations but would appreciate it if you could contribute as generously as you can. 

Please look at these links on JRS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm6rqgd528U 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzvUps6IAZ8