Category: Greg Secker Foundation

Putting Angelia to work 😉

Putting Angelia to work 😉

By Rachel Ainsworth Leave a comment 11 Aug 2017

Well as you can imagine, Angelia has been put straight to work in the foundation as our new Ambassador. After helping Greg move Nena and her two sons last week, Angelia has been keen to keep the ball rolling.

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She started by giving a message of encouragement to the beneficiaries and the newly elected Village Officers. She spoke about her advocacy to save mother nature, and that being poor is not wrong unless you strive to have a better life for your family and children. ‘We can, so we will’ – Her slogan from winning Miss Earth in 2015. Our Beneficiaries were so amazed by her beauty and words. And as she spoke in their mother tongue she oozed sincerity.

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Next Angelia planted a Narra tree which is the National tree of the Philippines and a symbol to welcome her in to the Foundation.  

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Alya our social worker, showed Angelia the new crèche. This is mainly used so our builders, contractors and other workers on site, have a safe place for their children to be cared for during the day. Alya did such a great job making the crèche an inviting and friendly place for the children – Thanks Alya.

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Angelia handed out plastic toy gardening tools to the children, so they could learn how to plant and grow fruit and vegetables. These type of life skills are so important for them to be self sufficient, and really will help give them the best start in life.

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In addition to the crèche we have converted some of the houses into class rooms temporarily. Teachers from the CPU (Central Philippines University), have been teaching Saturday classes every week all the way from Kindergarten to Grade Six. Angelia and Greg left little pre-school kits for the kids, this included work books, exercise books, reading books and  colouring books.

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They also left a lovely message on the chalk board to motivate and inspire the children. Alya showed them the tables and chairs in the classrooms as these were all made by our beneficiary fathers.  

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We are so grateful to have Angelia on board, and can see the impact she will make is huge.

Thanks again from all of us at GSF.

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Rescuing Raymond – The Emergency Trip

Rescuing Raymond – The Emergency Trip

By Rachel Ainsworth 1 Reply 7 Aug 2017

Are you ready for an emotional roller coaster? I hope you’ve got a box of tissues close by!

Last week, we were having our foundation update call as normal. DR our project co-ordinator based in the Philippines alerted us about a flood, that had affected one of our beneficiary families due to move into the village later this year.

Nena the mother, her two boys Rodolfo and Raymond and her beautiful baby granddaughter.

Raymond was blinded in an accident at the age of 10 and after the boy’s Father passed away, despite being completely blind, Raymond became the family’s main bread-winner.  Due to his disability, he is completely dependent on his brother Rodolfo for his every need and every day they both walk for over an hour to the next town where Rodolfo helps Raymond find a safe place to sit, so he can spend the day begging for money. Meanwhile Rodolfo rents a bicycle with a sidecar and uses it as a taxi to ferry people around the town.

Together in a day they earn enough money to put food on the table for just one single day.

Their home is made from Bamboo and scrap wood and located next to the Capinahan river. When the river flooded their wooden home was damaged and all their belongings ruined. With this news Greg organised to fly out and offer them some immediate support taking with him Dean Russell, Team Lead for the trip. WhatsApp Image 2017-08-07 at 06.45.54

Now a little side note…

The Greg Secker Foundation has been in regular conversations with Angelia Ong a Chinese Filipino model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2015 and was later crowned as Miss Earth 2015. Born in Manilla but raised in Iloilo City she had heard of our foundation and strongly believed in the work we are doing! We decided to approach her with a view to making her an Ambassador.

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We are very pleased to announce that she accepted! With Greg’s short notice trip to help Nena and her family he called in the troops, including Angelia.

 

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They met in Manilla and flew down to Lemery together. A helicopter was the quickest way to get them to Iloilo where DR picked them up and took them straight to Nena, Raymond and Rodolfo.

This is what they saw..

 

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Greg comforted them and promised them he wouldn’t leave before making their living situation safer.

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Greg had an idea, but needed more helping hands! He took the GSF team back to the village to speak to the contractors working on site and the beneficiaries tidying. They decided on a well know process called Bayanihan system, this is a Filipino custom derived from a Filipino word “bayan”, which means nation, town or community. The term bayanihan itself literally means “being in a bayan”, which refers to the spirit of communal unity, work and cooperation to achieve a particular goal. Bayanihan also comes from the word “bayani” which means ‘hero’. It can also mean that by helping one another, we can be each other’s hero.

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It took three trucks to bring the willing volunteers back to Nena. Then this happened…

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We are so pleased to announce that the house move into the village was successful and Nena and her family are now safe from future floods.

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As you can imagine this caught the attention of the media! They have promised to share with us some footage of the day so keep your eyes out for this on our Facebook page.

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A big thank you to all of our GSF team, contractors and beneficiaries for all your hard work and help on this trip! We have shown that…

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Pickled Papaya …. a new business venture for our mothers in the village!

Pickled Papaya …. a new business venture for our mothers in the village!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 25 Jul 2017

 

The mothers of the village are starting up a little business!  Pickled Papaya.  They spent the day watching and learning the best way to cook this and then with a capital of 1,000 Philippine pesos, which equates to approx £15 they cooked, packed and then sold their produce to teachers, visitors and even the nearby village!

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The results were fantastic with them making money on their first venture! Well done to you all. The next batch will be ready soon so watch this space…… Pickled Papaya from the Greg Secker Foundation Village could be on our supermarket shelves!!

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We’d love to ask you, our followers to send us your ideas for a brand/logo for our Pickled Papaya! Please message us on: info@gregseckerfoundation.com  Thank you.

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The GSF village holds its first Saturday class for the children!

The GSF village holds its first Saturday class for the children!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 25 Jul 2017

Last weekend it was a very busy day for everyone in the village. It was our first Saturday class for the children. Deans and Professors as well as Students, attended from Central Philippine University (College of Education and College of Hospitality Management) to teach the children. They brought school supplies which included notebooks, pens, paper, crayons, eraser and pencil.  These classes will now run every other Saturday at the village. 

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Classes were grouped from Kinder, Grade 1&2, Grade 3&4 and Grade 5&6. Some of the houses were used as temporary classrooms for the children. The parents were given vital roles during the day.  In each class group there were three parents in charge to look after the children and help with school work, play time and snack time. Parents were also in charge of the cleaning before and after the class!

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Practicum students from the College of Education conducted the Diagnostic Test exam at every level, so that they can gain an idea on where to start or base their data, and also what subject areas that children most excel in or need tutorial in.

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On the other side of the village, the College of Hospitality Management conducted FGD (Focus Group Discussion) to 25 mothers. They discussed hygiene and sanitation with them and gave them some valuable advice. They also took the height and weight of all children to determine the Body Mass Index of every child and to record a data to to find out what children are malnourished or need health assistance.

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At the end of the day, to show their appreciation, the beneficiaries brought their produce and gave it to the teachers in exchange for showing how grateful they were for what they had done for their children.

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The Materials Recovery Facility is all up and running……

The Materials Recovery Facility is all up and running……

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 12 Jul 2017

The beneficiaries have had another productive week – the men have completed the MRF and the women have been busy planting plants around the village.

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The MRF is just another way to encourage our beneficiaries to be environmentally friendly.  The Materials Recovery Facility is where the rubbish is segregated. Plastic, tin and glass containers can now be split up correctly. The Plastic bottles and glass bottles can either be stored and sold to scrap facilities or they can be used in the village for decorations and school projects. 

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Some LGU’s (Local Government Units) have their own ordinance that every City or Town has to have their own MRF to help reduce the problems in collecting rubbish and to minimise pollution.  In Lemery, there is a contest on beautification using recyables such as plastic, cans and paper. Once our families move into the houses they will be able to take part in this, not only to gain extra money for their rubbish but to save the environment.  

Every day, our beneficiaries are busy, here we can see the women planting nice plants to make the village look beautiful. There is plenty of rain at the moment so they will grow well over the next few months.

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The weekly lunches still continue, this week they sat under the Mango tree. It is becoming the high light of the week as every group is preparing a special dish to be shared by all. This week’s menu was a mix of fresh vegetables; pumpkin and lady finger.  The construction workers are also now invited to share the feast!

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The “dirty kitchen” extensions have started!

The “dirty kitchen” extensions have started!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 6 Jul 2017
 
Work has begun on the kitchen extensions. These will be known as “dirty kitchens” and will be for the use of cooking with wood or charcoal.  It is unsafe to  cook inside the house because of the smoke, so these extensions are essential to the beneficiaries. 
 
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Last weekend our male beneficiaries had the chance to help and observe how the kitchen extension is made, so they are able to work on these with the foreman taking the lead and helping them.
 
The ovens used in the kitchens are called eco-KALAN which can be a portable stove made of clay consisting of three components: the outer shell (kalan) on which the cooking pot sits; the inner chamber (rocket elbow) where the combustion takes place; and a shelf with air holes to hold the fuel. The space between the kalan and the combustion chamber is filled with wood ash for insulation.
 
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What a great way to cook! I guess our version here in the UK, is the barbecue! 
 
Another busy week in the village – an update from DR our Project Coordinator and Alya our Social Worker.

Another busy week in the village – an update from DR our Project Coordinator and Alya our Social Worker.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 30 Jun 2017

With just the windows and doors being put on the 50-60th houses and a lick of paint, we really are over half way! Its all very exciting, and to be starting the land preparation for houses 61-70 means we are on track to be finished this year.   

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Slope protection work still continues as the rains come, but we now have storm drainage systems in place to catch the water and make sure it funnels away in the right direction, to the bottom of the village!

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DR tells us that work has also begun on the internal roads and he is just finalising the paper work with the engineers for the safety rails around the slope protection.  

Alya’s week has been busy too! She tells us that the village feels alive and that the beneficiaries are loving helping each other fulfil their tasks with each group taking it in turns with the cooking rota. It is up to the group what they prepare and serve and the less money they spend the better. Most of their produce is from the gardens which are flourishing with all the rain! Last weekend, their menu was bamboo shoots with fresh coconut milk with fried dried fish and fresh salad of bittergourd and fresh tomatoes. It sounds and looks not only delicious but very healthy too!

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The beneficiaries have continued planting with the vegetable gardens too. In the picture below they are building a frame for the bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon) to grow up. Bitter Gourd is a unique vegetable / fruit as it is beneficial as both a medicine and food.  

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Steve Rae meets Fatima who received a life saving operation a couple of years ago.

Steve Rae meets Fatima who received a life saving operation a couple of years ago.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 22 Jun 2017

Two years ago, Greg Secker our Founder, met an eight year old girl called Fatima.  She had been living with a debilitating cancerous grown on the side of her hip. Fatima’s parents told Greg that she could not go to school because Fatima was being bullied by the other children. Greg was so moved by her bravery and determination that he organised for Fatima to have surgery to remove the growth.

After the surgery Greg visited Fatima to see her progress and was delighted to see a very happy smiling girl who would now have the chance of a happier childhood and most importantly the courage to go back to school. Fatima’s father was overjoyed and the best news is that Fatima’s family are one of the beneficiaries of the build a house project.

Two years have now passed and in this video Steve Rae catches up with Fatima and her father. 

 

Steve Rae gives us an overview of slope protection and water drainage at the village.

Steve Rae gives us an overview of slope protection and water drainage at the village.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 19 Jun 2017

In this video, Steve Rae gives us an overview of water drainage and slope protection in the village. 

Thank you Steve for giving us such knowledgable advice and support. 

If you have expertise in a particular field that would be beneficial to the village please get in touch info@gregseckerfoundation.com

 

 

 

 

On Monday 12th June, we celebrated the 119th Philippines Independence Day, in partnership with Learn to Trade, in their worldwide offices.

On Monday 12th June, we celebrated the 119th Philippines Independence Day, in partnership with Learn to Trade, in their worldwide offices.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 15 Jun 2017

On Monday 12th June we celebrated the 119th Philippines Independence Day, in partnership with Learn to Trade.  Celebrations were held worldwide in Learn to Trade offices in the UK, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines.

Traditional Filipino Dancers from The Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Company came to the Learn to Trade London offices at lunch time, and put on a spectacular display of dance.  Employees were then encouraged to ‘have a go’! Well done team – great effort. 

Traditional Filipino food was then served at lunch, all prepared and cooked by Rosario. There were a lot of empty plates and empty serving dishes! Thank you Rosario it was delicious. 

Thank you to our Learn to Trade offices all over the world for putting on such great events and celebrating with us a very important day for the Philippines.