Category: Greg Secker Foundation

Where is the Greg Secker Foundation Village based?

Where is the Greg Secker Foundation Village based?

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 26 Apr 2017

Many of you follow us and read about the progress of our Build a House Build a Home project, but how many of you actually know where it is based and what goes on in the local area?

Here are a few interesting facts to give you an idea …

The Philippines is an archipelago bounded by the Pacific Ocean. To the East the Bashi Channel, to the North the Sulu and to the South the Celebes Seas.

The Philippines are made up of 7,107 islands in a magical corner of the world. They are divided into three regions – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

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The Luzon Islands include Luzon, Palawan, Mindora, Marinduque, Masbate, Romblon, Catanduanes, Batanes and Polilio.

The Visayas is the group of island in the central Philippines, the largest of which are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Siquijor, Biliran and Guimaras.

The Mindanao islands include Dinagat, Siargao, Camiguin, Samal plus the Sulu archipelago composing primarily of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Some islands have become bustling cosmopolitan cities, such as Manila, the city of Cebu and Davao, while others are more remote and tropical.

The Greg Secker Foundation Village is located on the Panay Island, approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours from Iloilo City and 4k from Lemery Town, which has a population of approximately 40,000 people.

The village is part of the Barangay Capinahan, which is part of the town of Lemery and is located in the northern part of the province of Iloilo. It is one of the towns in the 5th district of this province.

The municipality was named after the Spanish Governor, General Jose Lemery e Ilbarrol Ney y Gonzalez. During the early part of the 18th century, adventurous settlers from Taai were attracted to the vast plain near the shores of Balayan Bay because of its abundance in fish and other marine life. Salting and drying fish became their major occupation.

Nowadays Lemery’s economic growth depends mainly on each agricultural sector. It posses a vast and rich area best suited for agricultural. It has the biggest bulk deposits of white clay for the ceramic industry as well as traces of copper, iron, gold and other metallic minerals.

 

Rice Fields

 

The farmers of Lemery provide a rich harvest of rice, corn and sugar cane that is beneficial to not only the residents of Lemery but also to other municipalities.

A festival known as the Saug Festival is held every year. This features eight districts portraying different situations or scenes on the real purpose of Saug. Saug is a local term, which means to transfer wood and other farm products from one place to another by means of Karosa.

Saug festival water buffalo

Lemery’s climate is classified as tropical. February to May is classed as warm, June to November cool and the coldest months being December to January. The Philippines only have two seasons with the average temperatures being 27.3C and an annual rainfall of 1775mm per year.

Our Project Coordinator, DR says that although Lemery is quite remote it is a very peaceful place to live and he loves everything about it.

The Philippines are a beautiful place to visit with something for every traveller; wherever you go you won’t ever be more than two hours from the beaches.

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Visit http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk for more information, but promise us…. if you come to the Philippines you’ll come and see us at the Foundation village too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Earth Day – 22nd April 2017

World Earth Day – 22nd April 2017

By Rachel Ainsworth Leave a comment 20 Apr 2017

In aid of World earth day this year, in 2 days time! We have been reviewing how ‘green’ our village is and what we can do to ensure the site is as carbon neutral as possible. We already have the amazing recycling bins you may have read about in previous blogs, and are keen to look into a wind turbine too. If you have any ideas please do share them with us, we would very much appreciate the help!

Reducing the carbon footprint of an entire village is no small task. However, making sure you are doing your bit at home is much easier. We’ve done some research and pulled together 5 top tips on how to ensure you are as ‘green’ as you can be too.

 

  1. Reduce Water Waste. In our village running water has not been the easiest to implement.  We have therefore experienced first-hand how vital it is to be frugal with our water usage.

At home simple things like taking a shorter shower in the morning or installing a low-flow shower head can make big difference. These have the added benefit of reduced cost when you receive your next water bill too!

Cutting back on bottled water purchases is an easy solution as well. Even if you live in an area where your tap water isn’t the tastiest, purchasing a water filter will take some of that irony aftertaste out of your water and purify it to your bottled-water standards. Plus, a water filter will save you money in the long run, when you don’t have to take trip after trip to the store to purchase more bottled water!

 

  1. Cut Down On Your Energy Usage. Similar to water wastage this will help with saving the pennies too – a win for you and a win for the Earth! There are a lot of ways to cut back on the energy you use in your home, including some of the following…

Unplugging appliances when they aren’t being used, putting clothes on a lower temperature wash (according to The Worldwatch Institute, 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water) and using a drying rack or clothesline instead of a tumble dryer.

Reducing your energy around the home is literally as easy as a click of the button. So, turn the lights off when you leave the room and stop leaving those appliances on standby.

 

  1. Use Less Paper. Think of the trees! With texts and emails the standard way of communicating now, we do use paper less than we did years ago. However, when mopping up that mess in the kitchen think…! Is a paper towel necessary or can a washable cloth be used instead? Remember, the less paper you use, the less paper needs to be produced and the more trees that get to fill our forests. According to EPA, by recycling one short ton (0.91 t) of paper you can save 17 mature trees.

If it is essential for you to use paper for work or school, you can still make a difference by using recycled paper. Did you know It takes less energy to create recycled paper than it does to create the purified white paper you are used to using. Recycling is easy and one of our favourite ways to live green at The Greg Secker Foundation.

 

  1. Carpool. How do you travel to work or school? If you drive could you offer others a lift? Fewer cars on the roads means less carbon and other gasses polluting the air. This also protects the environment by keeping the water and land cleaner. Just think, it can even help with the traffic causing you long delays on your journey.

Some governments support the idea of carpooling to the extent that they have introduced high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. These are lanes in which only vehicles with two or more passengers are allowed to drive. HOV lanes can create strong practical incentives for carpooling by reducing travel time and expense; so it’s definitely worth your while.

 

  1. Reduce Single Use Items. Why not buy reusable drinks bottles such as travel mugs. This reduces plastic, styrofoam and paper and saves you money on buying drinks when you are out. You can also invest in reusable bags, just remember to keep them with you to avoid the 5p penalty when in the shops!

Another single use item that can cause serious soil and water pollution are batteries. Where possible make sure you use rechargeable ones. If you need to use an item that has disposable batteries, make sure you turn it off when it’s not in use to reduce the wastage. Batteries are made from a variety of chemicals, some of which are extremely toxic and can cause damage to humans, wildlife and the environment.

 

We hope these tips help you to becoming more ‘green’ at home. Keep an eye out on our blog for updates on how we implement our carbon neutral initiatives.

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! 

Holy Week in the Philippines.

Holy Week in the Philippines.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 13 Apr 2017

Easter is one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, and in the Philippines “Holy Week” has already begun. It’s a time for solemn prayer and the observance of traditions, several of which are unique to Filipino culture as they combine religious faith with folk beliefs.

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Many festivals are held throughout the country.  Participants dress up as Roman soldiers and go around the streets from Holy Monday through to Easter Sunday, re-enacting scenes from the Passion of Christ.

 Moriones   

One Philippine tradition, especially in rural areas, is the observance of silence on Good Friday. People are encouraged to turn off their radios and televisions and limit conversations on the day that marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Catholics stop eating meat, turning to fish and the more devout ones go on a completely liquid diet. 

However, before the holiday week could begin for DR, he has had meetings with the engineers and Engr Rizardo of CPU, who has been helping with the design of the slope structure.  It also looks like the construction workers have been pretty busy too, with houses going up quickly. 

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So, whilst work stops for Holy Week and we have a holiday for a few days, we would like to wish you, wherever you may be, a very Blessed Easter.  

A Filipino boy participates during Palm Sunday rites outside the Holy Family Parish Church in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Palm Sunday marks the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and ushers in the Holy Week observance among Catholics worldwide. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

“Pagpalain ka ng Diyos”

 

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.

Huge excitement from the children as the back hoe arrives!

Huge excitement from the children as the back hoe arrives!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 31 Mar 2017

Today the site was full of squeals of delight from the children as the back hoe arrived on site.  DR, our project coordinator was pretty pleased to! He had been waiting for over a week for its arrival. Can you imagine, in the UK, waiting for a back hoe? You’d ring a demolition company first thing in the morning and could have half a dozen turning up by lunch! We don’t realise how easy it is for us here.

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Now work can begin on the development of the land for the construction of the next 10 houses.

During the week, DR, still had the contractors working hard. Whilst waiting for the back hoe’s arrival, they were busy fabricating metal rebars and footings which will be used as the foundations for the houses.

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The Foundation has a new office – it’s looking great inside and out!

The Foundation has a new office – it’s looking great inside and out!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 28 Mar 2017

This week, we are going to include a lot of photos into our blog to show you all the work going on – it gives you a better feel of what is happening and how busy the team on site are!

DR, our project coordinator, holds a daily meeting with his team planning the week’s projects.

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The Foundation office was moved to the first completed house. We are busy collating CV’s for our social worker who will be based on site, so we need the office all ready for when they start. And, no office is complete without the “Company Mission Statement.”

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The workers and beneficiaries have worked so hard making the front façade of the houses looking smart. It was all hands on deck; with holes being dug for the plants, rocks being collected for the borders and then the planting of plants, the painting of the rocks and transforming a scruffy bit of hillside to a well maintained “shrub bed”.

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The front of the house as the work begins…..

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Holes are dug for the plants.

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Nice straight lines!

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Rocks are collected from around the site to make the borders.

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The rocks are painted to make the borders stand out.

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And, finally, the finished borders! They look fantastic – well done everyone on site.

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Mani Mani Mani, must be funny…

Mani Mani Mani, must be funny…

By Rachel Ainsworth Leave a comment 16 Mar 2017

After a rainy start to the week, we have now had the first delivery of materials on site for the construction of the next ten homes. This includes 2,000 hollow blocks and 6-7 cubic metres of sand and gravel. We are also pleased to announce that back-filling has finally finished – Hoorar! Who would have known it would take us five days and approximately 300 cubic meters of land to complete.

Hollow block delivery

Our lovely beneficiaries have been back on site volunteering too. This week they have been planting Mani Mani plants otherwise known as Peanut plants. Not only do these plants beautify our village, they also help stop the slopes from eroding by burying their roots deep into the soil. Seedlings develop quickly, reaching ground cover spread by six months. So it won’t be long before our village is decorated with the delightful yellow flowers this plant produces.

Mani Mani planting

With building work due to commence next Monday 20th March, we are desperately trying to get hold of a bulldozer. In England this would seem like a simple task, however in this part of the Philippines machinery is scarce and expensive. DR, Project Coordinator Philippines and Rosario, Project Coordinator UK, continue to work hard and are hopeful they will find one in time without causing any delay to the next phase of building.

Lastly but possibly most importantly, we are now hiring for a full time licensed Social Worker based in our village in the Philippines. This person will become a vital member of our team, ensuring our beneficiaries get the chance to actually thrive and not just survive. Key aspects of the social workers role will include being the lead community organiser, and carrying out continual community and village needs assessments. They will have the opportunity to work closely with the Central Philippines University (CPU) who have already offered The Greg Secker Foundation resources and a wealth of knowledge. If you think this role sounds like the career opportunity you have been waiting for, a copy of the advert can be found below with details on how to apply.

 

Full Time LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER

Qualifications:

  1. Professional/Licensed Social Worker
  2. At least 2 years working experience as Social Worker
  3. Preferably with direct community organizing experience
  4. Proficient in oral and written English

For interested applicants please submit your application letter addressed to The Greg Secker Foundation and resume to Dr.Sanico@gregseckerfoundation.com or you may contact Mr. DR June Sanico at 09993667397.

Deadline of submission is on/before March 25, 2017.

 

 

It’s been a hot and humid week, but the work still goes on!

It’s been a hot and humid week, but the work still goes on!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 9 Mar 2017

It’s been a hot and humid week on site, with temperatures averaging 30 degrees, but still the workers have had a productive week with backfilling of land, painting remaining homes and the ladies joining in for “International Women’s Day,” making Recycling Waste Bins!

The ambience in the village has been tranquil recently, with quieter tasks such as painting, windows being fitted and general maintenance. The gentle taps of hammers and drills were replaced by the arrival of dump trucks and bulldozers, which filled the village with a different hum of noise! The heavy rain had caused some soil erosion around the site, so the trucks were brought in to do some much-needed backfilling. This was all completed in a couple of days so it’s back to a peaceful … but busy site!

 

 

 

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The first 50 houses are also getting finishing touches with windows being fitted. Hurrah no flies inside! Painting is nearly complete too, with the last couple of houses getting the final touches of blue on the windows and white exterior walls. It really is beginning to look like the village that everyone has dreamed for.

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BEFORE……..

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AFTER………

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Finally, we must not forget our wonderful ladies! Especially with International Women’s Day falling this week! They have done a fantastic job and made use of recycled material to make recycling bins! They collected bamboo, scrap wood and any other left over bits of building material found around the village.  They split the bin into three sections: “MADUNOT” Biodegradable, “INDI-MADUNOT” Non bio-degradable and “RECYCLABLE”.

The ladies then recovered cement sacks and sewed them together to make bigger sacks that then slotted into the bins.

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The final touch was a lick of paint and the final product was revealed!

Five of these bins have now been placed around the village with the next project being a waste management recovery facility.

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So, it has been yet another productive week with everyone working so hard whatever the weather! DR, our project coordinator, is doing a fantastic job dealing with the many challenges on site, along with managing the construction workers, machinery workers, painters and landscapers.  

The dream for the beneficiaries of living in their own “Typhoon Safe” home is ever closer in turning into reality!

 

 

Nonito Donaire & Peter Anthony talk about giving back.

Nonito Donaire & Peter Anthony talk about giving back.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 23 Feb 2017

‘Coming from humble beginnings with the right attitude you can change the world’ – Nonito Donaire.

Peter Anthony sits on the board of The Greg Secker Foundation and interviewed the one and only Nonito Donaire. He is 7 times world boxing champion, a real boxing hero and a philanthropist.  Check out the video!

It’s great to be supporting each others causes, working together we can make a difference and change the world. For updates on the construction of the 100 homes being built by us keep an eye on our website and social media channels.