This coming March I will be undertaking the Emunah Endurance Challenge: five tough days of hiking, climbing, cycling, abseiling, camping and cooking in the inhospitable wilderness of the Israeli desert. The purpose of this jaunt is to raise vitally needed funds for the work that Emunah does for Israeli children, and I am writing to ask for your support.

With 75 years of activity, Emunah is one of the main social welfare organisations in Israel, providing day care centres, kindergartens, residential homes and schools for children of all backgrounds. It provides care, refuge and a full range of services to children who need them most, and in particular to those who have been neglected or abused by those they should naturally trust.

I aim to raise £7,000 for Emunah, which is presently trying to find an additional £50,000 a year for the Neve Landy Children's Village in Even Shmuel, Southern Israel, a rehabilitation centre for highly disturbed youngsters, among its many other important welfare projects.

I appreciate that you are often asked to donate to a multitude of good causes, but I hope that you will sponsor me. You can donate here, or if you prefer you can send a cheque payable to 'Child Resettlement Fund', either to me or to Emunah directly.

If you would like further information on the valuable work that Emunah does, please have a look at the English website www.emunah.org.uk. I am very grateful for any contribution that you can make to this worthwhile cause, and look forward to sharing tales of survival in the desert with you on my return!

Josh