When Super-typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines, I - like many of you - really wanted to help.  So I flew out and started volunteering in Tacloban City.  Since then I've been digging many a ditch, laying a coco-lumber floor or two and mixing cement so people can get their lives back on track.  

In November, 4 million people were displaced.  Although huge progress has been made, even 9 months on, in Tacloban City there are still 31,000 people living in tents and inadequate housing and we, together, can change that.  

We, my fellow volunteers and I, have joined together to raise 1.1 million Philippine Pesos between now and the 9th of November, the one year anniversary of Super-Typhoon Yolanda.  With this money, one peso for every house that was severely damaged or destroyed, we can construct nine new homes and strengthen the communities in which they are built.

To kick it off, 39 of us volunteers have signed up to take part in Tacloban's Fun Run on the 31st of August.  I've signed up for 10km, in the sweltering heat that is a permanent feature of this country.  We want to raise the first 120,000 pesos, which is enough money to build a new house for a family who had their home destroyed in Barangay 83-C.  I'm aiming to raise £100 towards that total, or a tenner for every kilometre I complete.

Thanks for your support