House of Refuge began when a group of fervent individuals encountered street children who had been abandoned, neglected or maltreated by their own families. Prodded by a heartfelt resolve, this auspicious event birthed a halfway house in September 21, 1986, which gave shelter and provided the basic needs for street children. The halfway house was named Bahay Kanlungan in 1990. In the following year, it became a licensed child-caring institution, which adopted the name House of Refuge Foundation, Inc. Since its inception, House of Refuge has served more than 1000 children and currently cares for 37 children ages ranging from 4 to 17 years old.
December 2015, Greg Secker and the Foundation visited the House of Refuge Foundation in Manilla, to deliver hampers and gifts to the children living at the refuge. Whilst there we learned about their project to build a medical clinic and the Foundation instantly decided to help. We are pleased to announce that the “Maud Clinic†was completed in July 2016. The House of Refuge named the clinic after Greg’s grandmother, who herself was an orphan, as a thank you for sponsoring the construction. The clinic is vital to the Refuge and we are so pleased we were able to help.
Our Founder and CEO, Greg Secker, alongside Learn to Trade’s Australian Managing Director, James Matthews enjoyed an inspiring week near the Ulusaba Game Reserve (1 hour outside of Johannesburg) as they opened a crèche which the Foundation helped to fund with Virgin Unite.
Sir Richard Branson and the lovely folks at Virgin Unite were there to welcome the Foundation team. The creche currently takes care of over 20 small children each day and attendance is expected to grow to close to 100 kids by next year. If the creche hadn’t been built many of these kids would never been exposed to early education as it would be too far and too dangerous for the kids to attend the next available centre.
One third of all UK’s children live in poverty. Barnardo’s helps children that may have a disability or a learning difficulty, or those who may have been sexually abused or been the victim of domestic violence and believe that the key to lifting a young person out of a childhood of poverty, abuse or social exclusion is an education. Barnardos has always been a charity close to Greg’s heart; his own grandmother was orphaned when her parents died of consumption. She was taken in by Doctor Barnardo and cared for.
Through the fundraising efforts of The Greg Secker Foundation Greg was able to present Barnardo’s with a cheque for £60,000 to help continue the work of the East London Hub Construction Skills Centre. The hub is an alternative to mainstream education and training, where students aged 14 to 19 years can study a range of courses in electrics, plumbing, decorating and carpentry.
Ubuntu Education Fund is a non-profit organisation providing over 40,000 orphaned, vulnerable and HIV positive children in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with life-saving health services and vital educational resources.
The philosophy of Ubuntu is a universal bond of sharing that connects all of humanity I am because you are. The Ubuntu Model has become a blueprint for organizations around the world that strive for culturally appropriate, community-based development. Ubuntu’s child-centred approach highlights the difference between merely touching a child’s life versus fundamentally changing it.
The Greg Secker Foundation helped raise over £750,000 at the Ubuntu Education Fund Gala in order to launch the first comprehensive paediatric HIV clinic of its kind in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Ubuntu Centre in South Africa, gives Ubuntu’s children access to the life-saving medical services they need to live healthier, longer lives. A proud sponsor of the evening, The Greg Secker Foundation has been dedicated to improving the quality of children’s lives and pledged a large sum towards the paediatric clinic.
Starkey Hearing Foundation travels the globe delivering the gift of hearing to thousands of people each year who would otherwise live in the isolation of a silent world. The gift of hearing opens up a whole new world of opportunity. It connects individuals to life and helps them realize they can accomplish more than they ever thought possible. In March 2014, Greg went on an outreach mission to Malawi with the Starkey Foundation, with the team fitting over 400 hearing aids at the Bhubezi Community Health Centre.