Before we even received the title for the land, the idea of using the land as a force for good was already stirring.

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During a church service back in 2013 we were all given a pound (instead of putting money IN the collection box!). The challenge was to ask God what to do with the pound. I guess the idea was that the pound was like a seed that could be used to start something good. As we were praying, the word 'Shekinah' came to mind and I had a strong sense that we should start a new bank account with the pound. I felt that the money put in would eventually be used to do something special with the land we were buying.

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The very next day, the school where I was working had an exchange visit to an inner city school in east London. The children were put into mixed groups and the first activity for our group was for the children to introduce themselves. There was one girl from the Philippines and her name was ... Shekinah! Hmmm!

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In 2014, on our second visit to the Philippines as a married couple, I set about visiting a few places that cared for children to get an idea of what may be done on our land.

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Visiting the Arms of Love orphanage in Bohol and talking with their social workers, I learned that there wasn't too much government support for children and families with disabilities such as Downs Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. Later on in the trip, I visited Chosen Children's Village in Cavite and Philippines Cerebral Palsy Inc. in Manila. Both were inspirational and confirmed to me that we should do something for families with cerebral palsy children.

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My initial thoughts were to start a charity and build a centre on our land where families with cerebral palsy children could come and receive a range of therapies and emotional and medical support.

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Good ideas and plans often face trials, frustrations and obstacles. After the frustration of a long wait for the land's title, came our move to South Wales which was sadly followed by the illness and passing of my mother at the end of 2019. Next came Covid and plans for Bohol went on the back burner. Amazingly, this gave time for reflection and for God's plans to take shape. 

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I kept in touch with Jessa Marmol (President of CPEFASG) and agreed to sponsor a family workshop in Bohol which coincided with our visit in April this year (2024). We did fundraisers and along with other donations we raised enough money to make it happen. It was great to meet Jessa and some of her team and as a charity we now are confident that working alongside CPEFASG is the way forward. We made great connections with some families in Bohol and look forward to develop the work there. We believe there's much more to come as we now have charitable status, trustees who share the vision and a growing group of committed supporters.

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Currently, we're not planning to build a centre on the land, as sponsoring workshops and providing much needed resources is the way forward. We are also looking further 'afield' in the Philippines towards remote and under resourced tribal groups.

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If what we're doing has sparked your interest and you feel you could help in any way please contact us. We would love to hear from you and for you to join us on this worthy adventure!

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On behalf of all the trustees,

Neil