Greg and the GSF team made the decision to visit the village one last time before our beneficiaries move in on January 5th.  Due to busy diaries, they only had a week … and my goodness, they certainly had a busy one!  Here is what they got up to!

On Monday they left London Heathrow and flew to Dubai – connected to Manila where they met Ms. Angelia Ong and then flew onto Iloilo. After an overnight in Iloilo they then flew onto Lemery and then drove to the GSF village.  

On arriving at the village, there was a buzz in the air – Mr Greg Secker is here. The beneficiaries followed Greg around the village, not letting him out their sight! After a fantastic community lunch, cooked by the mothers of the village, the team was then entertained with dancing, games and a Christmas tree decoration competition. Who will win first prize?

Whilst in the village, Greg was also being filmed for a pilot documentary, which is about encouraging other successful entrepreneurs to integrate the gift of giving into their “business as normal”. If Greg can house 500 people … there are certainly a lot more entrepreneurs out there who can do the same.

Meanwhile in the village, Dean and Angelia did some story telling. Dean had written a book for the children of the village and with Angelia’s help translating it into Filipino they soon had the children giggling away.

After spending a day and a half in the GSF village it was time for the team to visit the school that the Foundation have pledged to help for the next 10 years. Capanihan School is 2km from the GSF village and over the next few months we will build toilet facilities, an ICT computer training center, a playground, a full refurbishment of the entire school and full catering for the children.

It was now time for the team to bid farewell to the community and set off back to Manila to join Bill and Tani Austin from The Starkey Hearing Foundation, where they helped fit hearing aids to children that are deaf. To assist in the giving of a gift of hearing was a very emotional day with many of the team in floods of tears as the children gave the thumbs up as he or she heard for the first time in their life. The team had two more important visits to make before flying home – one was the House of Refuge Orphanage, where Greg had sponsored the build of the medical center named after his late Grandmother, The Maud Clinic. They firstly stocked up with presents and then went and caught up with all the children. And secondly, to personally thank all the wonderful Learn to Trade employees who have raised fantastic amount of money towards the construction of the village.

After five, full, flat out days it was time for sleep on the flight home …. Manila – Dubai – London.

Well done team, huge effort.