Hi friends! Thanks for clicking and welcome to our Just Giving page. We are Mike (24) and Chris (30); brothers from the Lake District - and we have recently decided to leave the friendly Wainwright peaks of home and embark on an expedition in February 2020. It's amazing what ideas you come up with when the panic sets in and you turn 30...

Where? To the Everest region of Nepal.

Why? All in the name of War Child:

Long after the TV cameras and Foreign Correspondents have gone home, and when all is forgotten and we resume our daily lives; War Child gets to work. When horrific conflict breaks out in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen - innocent children are of course caught up in horrendous situations. War Child protects, educates and stands up for the rights of children who are helplessly caught up in War.

Less than 3% of humanitarian aid is spent on child protection in conflict-affected regions. War Child UK is striving for a world in which no child's life is torn apart by war. In our eyes, by making a donation - you will be making a difference to thousands of children whose lives have been turned upside-down by brutal, unthinkable types of conflict. You’ll be helping them receive the care and support they need to overcome the traumas which we do not dare to think about, the traumas which are too large for our minds to comprehend, and the traumas which we are fortunate enough to ignore. 

Keeping children in education during wars and other emergencies is a life-saving priority for them and their families. 

But right now more than 75 million children and young people (aged 3-18) are out of school in 35 crisis-affected countries. That's more than the population of the UK.

We were perplexed to find that in Yemen alone, over 2,000 schools aren't fit for purpose, often because they've been damaged by the war or are being occupied by armed parties. With this in mind, the economic toll of the conflict has led to an increase in child labour and child marriage. The number of children being recruited into armed parties is also at a new high. 

Even when children are able to access education in conflict-affected countries, there are huge challenges – like overcrowded classrooms, lack of teachers and resources, and serious violence in or on-route to school. 

We see protecting children’s right to education as a central part of what should be a global response to crisis.

So for this incredible cause, myself and my brother Chris will be climbing and trekking through the Winter terrains of the Everest region in the Himalayas, Nepal. Across a 5 week period this Winter; we will be trying to withstand temperatures as cold as -30c, gasping for oxygen at levels of under 50% access, and trekking altitudes escalating over 18,000 ft (5500m); until we reach Everest Base Camp and the summit of Gokyo Ri. That's nearly 6-times the height of our beloved Scafell Pike in our home of the Lake District, and will equate to approximately 300km of trekking.

...we should probably join a gym, and cut out the Big Mac meals. '

Instead of flying to Lukla, we will begin our trek from the village of Jiri. Therefore we will also be donating locally as we trek; by transporting lots of no longer used outdoor clothing to the Nepalese families who are still recovering from the recent 2015 earthquakes and it's aftershock. 

We would love to raise enough funds to fully kit out 5 classrooms with tables, chairs and teaching resources and equipment for War Child, so we've set a base target of £1000 (£200 per classroom).

Our journey starts on February 10th 2020. We know it's incredibly hectic with Christmas and New Year - so thanks ever so much for just reading, and all donations of any amount - we will be forever thankful for. Cheers.

*This trip has been fully funded by ourselves, we are not asking for any support in that sense.

Mike and Chris xo