This October, four of us will be heading to the Philippines on the trip of a lifetime. But this will be no holiday: we’re going to meet up with a bunch of other like-minded souls to build homes and communities for those less fortunate than ourselves. Our flights are booked, we’ve had our jabs and all that’s left now is to get ready for five days which we’re sure will change all of our lives.

One community at a time

We’re flying out as part of Trend Micro’s Home Building programme. Co-founders Steve and Jenny Chang started working with local charity Gawad Kalinga – which means “to give care” in English – in recognition of our employer’s 20-year anniversary. Gawad Kalinga’s approach to eliminating poverty is more than a quick fix solution: it’s based on the idea that by providing basic housing for local people we can create something more sustainable and long-lasting. Build enough homes and you end up creating whole villages and communities.

While out there we’ll be doing everything from digging wells to mixing cement and plastering, sifting sand and carrying rocks – all in sticky, sweaty conditions reaching up to 34C. It’s not all about house building, however: we’ll also be farming and landscaping the local area and visiting local families.

We’ve got a lot to live up to. Previous groups of volunteers on the programme in 2013 helped build homes for 85 local families – effectively an entire village – as well as hand out sweets to the local kids and teach some important lessons about hygiene to keep them all fit and healthy.

The phrase “make a difference” has become something of a cliché today, but for us, that’s exactly what this trip is all about. We can all be a bit guilty of taking for granted the benefits of living in a developed country. We sometimes forget that there are many families living hand to mouth who don’t even have a permanent place to call home.

This programme represents a fantastic opportunity to take part in something that could genuinely change lives for the better, for those most in need.

Wish us luck and please take a moment to donate to this great cause. Every pound makes a difference!

Thank you!

Eva, Chris, Adam and Stu