Update
My team successfully climbed and descended all three mountains! It took me 27 hours, but I reckon I can do better than that next time. Rest assured, you will be informed and badgered into donating again!

The Three Peaks Challenge

In July I'm going to be climbing the three highest mountains in the UK to raise money for charity. I think that's fairly straightforward, so I won't waste words on how hard it's going to be or how high the mountains are. Instead, I'll tell you where the money's going...

Warwick in Africa

In summer Warwick students, graduates and teachers are going to be volunteering in various schools in Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania, teaching African children English to improve their chances in life. It is really unfair that children born in one part of the world have so much less opportunity than those from somewhere else, and education is perhaps the most powerful way of overcoming this disadvantage.

The volunteers are going to be working hard in Africa to teach these children in less than ideal circumstances. African classrooms are small and class sizes are often large, so that there is not always a place for every child to sit. But the kids go to school anyway, because they want to learn. The Warwick in Africa programme sends groups of English and Maths teachers to several African countries every year and makes a huge difference in the following ways:

1. For the children, it means better grades, self belief, more ambition and motivation to achieve and a different perspective on education and the world of possibilities. Many of them will not have met a native speaker of English before.

2. For the African teachers in the schools, who may only have a rudimentary knowledge of the subject they teach and old fashioned teaching techniques, it means new ideas and skills, better subject knowledge, greater confidence and ambition.

3. For the local communities these schools serve, it means more successful young people, more belief in and support for education and better race relations.

4. For you the donor, it means value for money, because £16.20 is all it costs to educate one child for a month with Warwick in Africa, which will make a huge difference to that child's life. What's more, the cost is always coming down, because each time the programme runs, it does so on a bigger, more efficient scale. But there's more! Long after the Warwick teachers are gone, the impact on the local schools, local teachers and communities' attitudes to education and aspiration continues to be felt, and the total effect of the scheme is immeasurable.

Please donate!

I realise I've written quite a lot, but I thought that it was important. If you would still like to find out more, visit the Warwick in Africa page at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/giving/priority/responsibility/warwickinafrica/ 

The Warwick in Africa programme needs donations in order to send top class, enthusiastic teachers over there. Remember, £16.20 pays for one child's top-class education for a month.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page, now here's a message from Justgiving about your donation:

About JustGiving

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.