With the closure of Aid to Hospitals Worldwide it might be difficult for us to contemplate shipping another full container load of aid. And indeed without them it would be hard for us to actually source enough equipment to fill a container. Nevertheless we keep on chipping away at making a difference in the Philippines.

The need doesn't go away. Children still need education. Families still need help to climb out of the poverty trap and to achieve independence. People still need to know that God cares about them and their situation

Yesterday saw us loading 11 boxes (well 10 boxes and a package actually) full of teaching equipment, school books, educational resources and medical equipment to improve the lives of people in Cagayan De Oro City.

It may not be much (about a quarter of a ton and a cubic metre) but, to quote the Tesco adverts, "Every little helps".

Some of this equipment will go to the House of Joshua children's home. Some will go to a local school and some to Barrangay health centres and community hospitals, many of which are badly underfunded and ill equipped.

Shipping like this is costly, but much of what is in these boxes is simply unavailable in the Philippines. Even where it is available it is out of reach unless you have the money to buy it.