It has been a busy and emotional month for both the team and the beneficiaries, as we enter the final phase of preparations for the launch and handover of our new community, which is scheduled for January 5, 2018.

Our on-site project team and construction crews have been valiantly battling the weather to get everything ready. The fact that they have been seeing multiple typhoons per week just goes to show the need that our beneficiaries have to move from the houses that they have constructed themselves from the wreckage of their former homes into safe and secure accommodation, where they and their families can sleep easier at night.

Our medical mission was highly successful, and we are delighted that we were able to offer our beneficiaries a wide range of health and dental care, thanks to the generous and tireless efforts of a number of local health authorities and aid groups.

We also visited the local school, whose ranks will soon be very much expanded by children from our village, and as well as providing learning materials, sports equipment and a new playground, our founder Greg Secker generously made a five-point promise to support the school and its development over the next 10 years.

You can read more about the above in our expedition account, which is our lead article in this month’s foundation magazine.

As with the run up to any launch, December promises to be both busy and incredibly rewarding, as we take the final steps to provide our community with new homes and a brighter future.

As always, we would like to thank the many people who over the last month, and indeed year have been absolutely instrumental in helping us to help others. To those people, heartfelt thanks both from the foundation team in the UK and the Philippines, and we also look forward to working together with you in the future.

PCB