Category: Charity

Our Year 6 pupils receive a very generous gift…

Our Year 6 pupils receive a very generous gift…

By DR June Sanico 1 Reply 4 Sep 2017
Ms Katrina Jucaban
 
Since Saturday classes began in the village, Ms Katrina Jucaban, a 3rd year education student, majoring in Mathematics has been involved with our Year 6 pupils – teaching them different topics every week. This week she was teaching them to tell the time, but… with a huge surprise up her sleeve!  She turned up with a watch for each and every pupil that she teaches, and all of these were brought by herself as a gift to the children.  The children could not believe it and were so thankful to Ms Katrina.  What a fantastic incentive to get them to learn to tell the time. 
 
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We have been told, that this is in fact not the first time that she has turned up with presents. She regularly comes with food and other gifts for them too. 
 
Children with watches
 
So incredibly generous, thank you Ms Katrina on behalf of us all at GSF. heart
 
 
 
The vegetable gardens are thriving.

The vegetable gardens are thriving.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 29 Aug 2017

Over the last few months, the beneficiaries have been working so hard planting vegetables and fruit plants around the village. They want to be as sustainable as possible for when they move into their new houses in a couple of months time.  

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They have made full use of the Materials Recovery Facility (recycling area) that they built. The mothers used cans, containers and plastic bottles to plant some vegetables and hang amongst the bamboo. 

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Alya (our social worker) has sent us some pictures of fantastic looking fruits and vegetables that the beneficiaries have sowed and cared for and are ready for harvesting!

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In the pictures we can see lady finger, egg plant, long beans, papaya, lemon grass and spring onions! 

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When the students from Central Philippine University were at the village they helped the beneficiaries with harvesting some of it to take home to their families too.  The beneficiaries are so happy to share their produce as the students from CPU look after their children so well on Saturdays teaching them. 

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Well done to Alya and all the beneficiaries for working so hard in growing food for the village!

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Saturday classes are the highlight of the week for the children.

Saturday classes are the highlight of the week for the children.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 23 Aug 2017

Saturday’s in the village cannot come around fast enough for the children. They are so excited to see the teachers from the College of Education of the Central Philippine University. The children jump up and down in excitement as they see the teachers arrive. What have they got in store for them today?…….

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The teachers started the day by teaching the children basic school work and then onto singing nursery rhythms and some dancing. They finished in the classrooms with some story telling which the children really enjoyed.  They were captivated by these fascinating stories which took their minds and dreams to far away places.  One day in the future we hope to be able to make their dreams come true. 

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The children were then given a lesson on hygiene and the importance of it. Starting with basic hand washing. To you and I such an everyday routine that we don’t even think about, but to the children of the village a totally new experience.

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The teachers handed out combs, soaps and shampoos to the children to start using everyday.

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The parents told Alya (our social worker) that they are so appreciative of what the children are experiencing every Saturday. They could not afford to send them to school and get this private tuition and they are so grateful to everyone for everything that the children are getting.

For us, this is just the start of our Education Program plans – stay tuned to find out more….

 

 

 

The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company host an event in Marylebone.

The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company host an event in Marylebone.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 6 Jun 2017

On Saturday 3rd June, Rosario & Abi from The Greg Secker Foundation in partnership with Learn to Trade, attended a spectacular dance show, Panata (Oath), hosted by the Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company, and directed by the very talented Ronnie Del Barrio, at The Cockpit in Marylebone.

The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company promote Filipino cultural heritage through music song and dance, and this particular event was the Company’s 23rd anniversary production. This was to Celebrate and honour 119 years of Filipino independence, that will be celebrated on 12th June.

The stunning performance told a story, with each dance presenting a different area of Filipino culture; from dances depicting fun traditional games, to courtship and a wedding. The costumes and props in the performances were particularly spectacular. There were beautifully made lit candles in glasses used as props, which were then balanced on the ladies heads.

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Rosario and Abi had the pleasure of meeting the UK Ambassador of the Philippines, Antonio M Lagdameo and Carl Ellis the Marketing and Business Development Director for Philippine Airlines. 

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Left to right: Abi Hindle, UK Ambassador of the Philippines Antonio M Lagdameo, Rosario Sanico and Ronnie Del Barrio.

We are incredibly proud to support such an amazingly talented group of people, and we look forward to the next event.

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Steve Rae volunteers his time and energy to the Foundation Village.

Steve Rae volunteers his time and energy to the Foundation Village.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 1 Jun 2017

This week (1st – 7th June) is the beginning of Volunteer week. Steve Rae is an amazing example of volunteering his time and energy to the Foundation and we ask you all to take the time over the week, to help in your chosen way. Whether it is offering your help to us, or your preferred charity, volunteering work is valuable to us all, and very much appreciated.

Here are a few words from Steve about his experience volunteering at our village.

“My first impression of the Greg Secker Foundation village was WOW, and that view became more impressive over the next few days.

The villagers were absolutely lovely people. They were warm and friendly, and incredibly excited about the project – they LOVED Greg Secker, not only for his generosity in funding the project, but his personal touch when he visits the site, and they spoke about him with a huge amount of hope and excitement in their eyes.

In my time with Learn to Trade (Sydney) I had been moved by the update videos on the village with the heart warming stories of local people who will benefit from the generosity of the Greg Secker Foundation. It was just amazing to have the opportunity to meet these people myself, and to hear their stories face to face, …especially young Fatima who received a life changing operation to remove a large tumour. She is now the happiest girl in town and catching up on her school work. She is already enjoying a better and brighter future thanks to the Greg Secker Foundation.

The building site looked very challenging, …beginning with virgin land in the foothills outside a remote village with no infra-structure or utilities only months ago – the project team and contractors had already done a great job in completing 50 houses. There is some urgency to complete the remaining site infrastructure (slope protection, drainage channels and internal roads) before the on coming wet season.

My role was to provide some engineering support to the Project Team, and I had the opportunity to meet with the local engineers to discuss the detail design for the slope protection. The main area of focus being an almost vertical escarpment over 10m in height, which required a substantial retaining wall to prevent the subsidence of 6 houses that would be built on the higher level. How can you resist a technical challenge like that!!

I learned during my visit that this project is not just about providing a home to 100 families, but the Greg Secker Foundation genuinely wants to create a better future and change their lives. This vision is backed up by many initiatives, including a training facility at the village for greater employment prospects. This has to be the gold standard in rebuilding a village!!

My visit to the village as a volunteer was very rewarding and I am definitely keen to contribute further to this Foundation that is making such a difference to peoples lives.”

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVFy857EGKY&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Alya our Social Worker, organises a General Assembly at the Village.

Alya our Social Worker, organises a General Assembly at the Village.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 31 May 2017

Last weekend, our Social Worker, Alya organised a General Assembly at the Village. 

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The aim of the assembly was to: 

  1. Introduce Alya as the new Social Worker for the beneficiaries.
  2. Form core groups within the beneficiaries to facilitate easy access to them.
  3. Give each group areas of responsibility within the community.
  4. Announce increase of  hours to 650 per family over the year. (This is the beneficiaries way of working in the village without any pay so they feel they have earned the house through their hard work. They can do any work that is available in the village.) Once the houses are complete and they move in, they have to start maintaining the houses as the official owners. 

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After the assembly finished, games were organised for the children; Longest line and Music stop game. Even the parents enjoyed the games!

 

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Learn to Trade Manila Employees, Volunteer at the Foundation Village.

Learn to Trade Manila Employees, Volunteer at the Foundation Village.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 10 May 2017

Corporate Social Responsibility is very important to Greg Secker, (CEO of Learn to Trade, Smart Charts, FX Capital and the Founder of The Greg Secker Foundation). All employees are encouraged to participate with Corporate Social Responsibility whether it is though the Tradeathon Fundraising Events held regularly across all regions, or volunteering on site at the village.

Learn to Trade Manila employees stepped up last weekend and are the first region to visit the site this year. 14 employees arrived on site from the city and were set to work by DR, our project coordinator!

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The first task was to begin with tree planting; 40 seedlings of the Jackfruit tree were planted. Our future plans are for the village to be as sustainable as possible so planting these trees which produce between 100-200 fruits a year will be a great source of fresh produce for the beneficiaries.

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The flavour of the fruit is described as tasting of a combination of pineapple, apple, mango and banana and after roasting the seeds these can be used as an alternative to chocolate! The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous and a great source of dietary fiber.

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The team then decided to split into boys and girls with the girls doing some landscaping….

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… and the boys deciding to help with construction work on the houses. However, it didn’t take long though for the girls to go and watch the boys and then join in with the construction!

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Thank you to “Team Manila” for your valuable help.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact one of our team on info@gregseckerfoundation.com.

 

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Another Eggscuse To Treat Our Beneficiaries!

Another Eggscuse To Treat Our Beneficiaries!

By Rachel Ainsworth Leave a comment 18 Apr 2017

With the kids on school holidays, and the weather being so beautiful here in the UK over the bank holiday weekend, we can forget that there are others less fortunate than us.  

From decorating eggs, making bunny costumes and church services, Easter really is even more fun with kids. With this in mind, we decided to give our young beneficiaries a little egg-stra this weekend… here’s a video to show you how much fun we all had! 

Philanthropy – what does it really mean?

Philanthropy – what does it really mean?

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 5 Apr 2017

This week we wanted to talk about Philanthropy – What does the word actually mean?

Philanthropy can be broadly defined as love for human kind. It is derived from the Greek words “philos”, which means loving and “anthropos” which means humankind. A person who practices Philanthropy is called a Philanthropist.

The purpose of Philanthropy is to improve the wellbeing of humankind by preventing and solving social problems. Philanthropy is not the same as Charity. Charity focuses on eliminating the suffering caused by social problems, while philanthropy focuses on eliminating social problems. For example, giving food to a person who is suffering from famine is charity. The food helps the person for a short period of time, but the person will be become hungry again in the future. Teaching the person how to grow food is philanthropy because it eliminates the social problem causing the person’s hunger.

So, we as a Foundation are extremely honored to have Greg Secker as our Founder. We cover both the Charity and the Philanthropy! We are not just helping our community in the Philippines by building them new homes, but with Greg at the helm with his Philanthropic energy, are providing them the tools for a sustainable future too.

Trading for Aid

Trading for Aid

By Marie Sorli Leave a comment 27 Jan 2017

On Wednesday 25th of January, we had our first Charity Trade-A-Thon of 2017 in the London offices of Learn to Trade. It’s been 2 years since we held it last and we are so pleased so many of LTT’s clients showed such a keen interest in the event and in our programmes.

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Now some of you might be wondering what a tradeathon is. Trade-A-Thon’s are live trading days that the foundation holds with Learn to Trade. It is a fundraising event where all the profits from the ticket sales and the commission from the brokerage go straight to the Foundation and our Build a House, Build a Home programme.  

It’s not that usual to associate currency traders with charity, but the two are far from exclusive. We met so many engaged traders on Wednesday with a key passion for contribution. Together they traded for aid and raised as much as £15,722 towards our housing building project in the Philippines!

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Although 12 hours is a long day, we had so much fun – with magicians, DJs and massage therapists joining us in the breaks. As well as LTT’s four top traders doing 2 h shifts each, trading the currency market live with the attendees. 

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Thanks to all attendees for an amazing event, and to LTT staff for making Trade-A-Thon happen. 

The next tradeathon here in the UK is scheduled for March 29h, get in touch at info@gregseckerfoundation.com for more information or if you just want to have a chat. We do love to chat! 

Love,

The GSF team x