So here's the thing: I'm not outdoorsy. At. All. I'm not particularly fond of camping, I most certainly don't hike, and I'm pretty sure Mother Nature spends all of her time trying to think up ways to kill you off if you challenge her. My idea of fun is whiling away an evening at a café in Paris with a fine beverage and a great meal. My idea of fun does NOT involve spending eight days climbing 19,341 feet up a mountain in Africa, but I'd booked a safari in Tanzania for my vacation and I had some extra days, and I thought, "Wellllllll, Mount Kilimanjaro is right there and maybe I should challenge myself with something I would never ever ever EVER normally do." So, in a fit of complete insanity, I booked myself on a trek and have spent the past two months flailing around in a panic trying to get ready for it. (I'm currently living and working in Saudi Arabia, so it wasn't like I could just go to the mall and find the equipment I needed - I literally had to buy every single piece of gear and clothing off the internet and just hope that it would a) fit and b) not be confiscated at Customs for one reason or another.)

But now that I'm ready(ish), it occurred to me that it would also be a great opportunity to do some fundraising for a worthy cause, so I'm really hoping that you'll help me support the incredibly brave and selfless work of Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF -Médecins Sans Frontières), who risk going to some of the most dangerous and unstable places in the world in order to help people who would otherwise have no access to medical aid. MSF doesn't take sides - they go where they're needed in order to assist victims of disease, war, famine, and natural disasters. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

So, if these dedicated medical professionals have the guts to do all that, then I can drag my lazy self up the fourth-highest mountain in the world (Sept 21-29). If they can risk working in some of the most deplorable conditions imaginable in order to give life-saving care to helpless children, then I can risk altitude sickness. If they're brave enough to face Ebola, then I'm brave enough to spend eight hours climbing a slippery rock face in pitch blackness in minus 20C windchill on summit night (Sept 27). Don't get me wrong, I'll totally whine and complain (and probably vomit) the whole time, but I'll do it nevertheless.

I mean it - I'm the biggest wimp in the world, but I'm going to get to that summit. Unless the altitude sickness actually becomes life-threatening (or my climbing companions get tired of my grumbling and shove me into the nearest crevasse), I'll claw my way up to the top by my bleeding fingernails, if need be. And if I wasn't trying to raise money for such an amazing cause, I wouldn't be nearly so motivated, so anything you could donate would really help me get there. Any amount would be welcome - if you brought your coffee from home for a week instead of buying it, and donated that money to MSF, it would be great. If you look behind the sofa cushions and find a fiver, please throw it this way. Any amount would be fantastic and so very much appreciated, and this donation site very conveniently allows you to donate in any of several different currencies.

And all donations go to MSF - I've already paid for my own flights, accommodation, trek costs and climbing gear, so I'm not looking for sponsorship, just donations to a fantastic cause. In addition to which, I'm putting more of my money where my big yappy mouth is and am personally donating 150 pounds (approximately $250US), because I really believe in what MSF does. Would I rather spend it on myself? Are you kidding? Of course I would! BUT I'm trying to be a better person (this is a new thing for me, bear with me, I'm trying it out), and I'm kind of enjoying how it feels. I know there are a thousand worthy causes out there, but if you can help MSF to provide some of the most desperately needed medical care on the planet, you'd be doing an amazing thing.

If you're interested in hearing about the trek (the preparations, the travel, the whole dang thing), I'll soon be adding links to my blog and twitter pages, both of which I'll be updating in detail before I leave, and as and when I have internet access in Africa. Below are some short videos provided by MSF to give you more information about what they do and what your donation could help with. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long, yammering message and for any donation you'd be kind enough to give.
MSF in 40 seconds http://youtu.be/mXV8lTgETks
Ordinary Day (1mins) http://youtu.be/ArXDuGGf1Eg
Introduction to MSF (3mins) http://youtu.be/8jdq9OcjajM

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.