Ceri, my wife, and I have four children. We spend most of our time looking after them, providing for their needs and ensuring that they grow up in a safe and secure environment. As many parents know, that can mean saying ‘No’ to many requests that pop up during the teenage years. So why, when Rachel, still 17, announced that she wanted to go to Africa and climb its highest mountain, did we say ‘Yes!” albeit with a certain amount of fear and trepidation and the usual parental panic? As Rachel makes her final preparations for her trip – Kilimanjaro 2012: climbing poverty mountain – I wanted to share in a mini-series of blogs why ‘yes’ was the only option. I’ll post them over the next two weeks.