Tag: Philippines

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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Medical Mission held at the Maud Chapel Clinic.

Medical Mission held at the Maud Chapel Clinic.

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 4 May 2017

Nearly a year has passed since The Greg Secker Foundation built the “Maud Chapel Clinic”, named after Greg’s Paternal Grandmother, who herself was an orphan with Dr Barnados.

John Secker with Maud Chapel Plaque

John Secker (Greg’s father)

The Maud Chapel Clinic was built for The House of Refuge Foundation, which is an orphanage run by Glady Quindoza Bunao.

The House of Refuge Foundation is already in its 26th year of service to children who are abandoned, neglected, orphaned or abused. They currently house 37 children but over 1000 children have passed through the Foundation since starting up.  Many of the children who have already left,  have either been adopted by christian families, reunited to their relatives or are now living independently and are working.

Last Friday was a non-working holiday in Metro Manila because of the ASEAN Summit week. However, the Clinic was busy and full of children of all ages from 4 – 17 years as it was being used for the scheduled medical/health consultations and check ups.

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The children were seen by Doctor Calaveras who volunteered her time to see the children.  Each child filled in a health assessment form and was then weighed and checked by DR Calaveras for any health issues. 

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Glady and her staff are doing a wonderful job looking after these abandoned children and we ask you all too, to offer your support, and help these children who deserve the best. 

Board Meetings, TV Crews – all in a weeks work!

Board Meetings, TV Crews – all in a weeks work!

By DR June Sanico Leave a comment 27 Apr 2017

Board Meetings, TV Crews, Construction Work, Decorating, Gardening …. It’s all been happening over the last couple of weeks!

The Greg Secker Foundation, ‘Philippines Board Meeting’ was held on the 15th April, and with the help of technology was held by video conference between London and the Foundation Village. Attending the meeting in London was Greg Secker, our President, Amy Leveson-Gower, Abi Hindle, Rosario Sanico, Hannah Gibson and attending from the village was DR Sanico, Sarah Jeane P Cardona standing in for Atty Francisco B Figura, Glady Bunao, Tomas Laurea and Edwin Beria.

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A lot was discussed about the progress of the building work, slope protection, the rehabilitation of the overflow, the water system, drainage system, sewage system and landscaping. Our main focuses for the future are:  how can we make our village an ‘Green Eco Friendly Village’ and how do we become as sustainable as we can?

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Thank you to the board for attending this meeting – a lot was discussed and we feel huge progress has been made.

DR Sanico is hitting the big screen this weekend too! In January this year, Arma Bacar from Rated K, interviewed Greg about the village and his Philanthropic work building an entire village here in the Philippines.  To follow up this story they asked to come to the site to film the halfway mark of building 50 homes and interview some of the beneficiaries. Unfortunately Greg was unable to be on site this week due to prior work commitments so DR gracefully stepped in!  

Norman and Genaro were both interviewed about their experience during the Typhoon in 2013 and how they feel now, having been given a house since the tragedy.

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The buzz of having a TV crew on site soon had our beneficiaries out and about  in front of the camera!

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The programme will be aired this Sunday on ABS-CBN Channel 2. Stay tuned to find out what time…..

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.

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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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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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”

 

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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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.

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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.

 

 

Media coverage from our July trip

Media coverage from our July trip

By Marie Sorli Leave a comment 30 Jul 2016

“We want to help our beneficiaries thrive, not just survive. Providing them with the skills will make them resilient,”

– Greg Secker.

We’re in the The Daily Guardian! It’s been a bit over one week since our team was in Lemery helping with housing construction and breaking the ground for the next iteration. We are so lucky to have great supporters and to be welcomed with open arms from the government, local officials, the media, and most of all the community of Lemery!

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Our second groundbreaking was followed closely by Philippine media and our visit in the Philippines started with a press conference in Manila before flying to Iloilo. 

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The foundation featured in ABS-CBN’s Fish n’ Town show as well as several newspapers and radio channels.

I highly recommend reading some of the great articles written on our Build a House, Build a Home project by the Manila Standard Today, Philippine Star and The Manila Times.

All our media coverage can also be found on our media page, so make sure to check it out! 

 

Greg volunteering on site

Greg volunteering on site

By Marie Sorli Leave a comment 23 Jul 2016

The time has finally come. Greg and some of the directors of his companies have the past few days been volunteering on site, doing tasks such as painting, landscaping, and filling sand bags. 

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We started the trip with a groundbreaking ceremony for the new iteration of houses.

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We are close to completion on the first iteration with 20 homes, with the next iteration of 30 homes now underway.

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The foundation is very close to Greg’s heart and working for the foundation is like being adopted into the Secker family. It was therefore a no-brainer that he brought his parents along to the trip. John Secker was painter extraordinaire and Sandy Secker was the chief water woman!

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Everyone was put to work during the day, even Micheal, one of our donors who just sponsored a family home. Micheal spent his spare time from filling sandbags, getting to know the family that he is giving a new lease in life.

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In the evening we celebrated with the workers and beneficiaries. Karaoke is very big in the Philippines, so each night when the sky became dark, the Karaoke machine was put to work. Young and old gathered together to sing, some better than others, but all entertaining in their own way.  

Medical Clinic

Medical Clinic

By Marie Sorli Leave a comment 17 Jul 2016

horfi-kids-preformingHad such a great time at the Manila-based orphanage, House of Refuge, handing over the medical clinic we have sponsored for the orphanage! 

Now some of you might not know that Greg’s grandmother was an orphan who was taken in by Dr. Barnardo’s. Greg often says that if it wasn’t for him, he might not be here today. Children and especially orphans are therefore very close to the Foundations heart. Last year, Greg visited the House of Refuge, as a part of a Christmas initiative he does with staff from his companies to provide Christmas joy to the less fortunate called Basket Brigade. Each year, Greg and his companies find a local cause close to their office and donate care packages in form of food and presents for children. In 2015, the Philippines-based staff of Learn to Trade went to House of Refuge, an orphanage that cares for abandoned and neglected children who live or work on the streets.

When there, Greg heard their plans to build a medical centre for the children under their care. These remarkable young children have been through a lot, and when they are rescued, suffer from multiple conditions which need medical care. House of Refuge has doctors that volunteer at their centre, but sometimes needed to take the children to the hospital to spend the night or to do more checks. For some of the children, it was quite traumatic to be taken away from a space where they finally felt safe, so the refuge wanted to expand their services and provide the children with holistic care at their own premises. 

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Greg and the team were so inspired by the hard work of the House of Refuge staff, and the change this fantastic charity has made to the lives of hundreds of children. At the time, the orphanage had one major donor covering half of the cost of the medical centre. After speaking to the board, we decided that the foundation would help them in reaching their goal and decided to fund the remaining so the kids would have their new medical clinic. Two months later the other donor pulled through, but we felt that this was something the children could really benefit from and decided to shoulder the entire cost to help them.

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We are so happy to announce that in July that promise was fulfilled and we opened the doors to a brand new two-storey medical clinic kitted out with medical equipment and child-friendly furniture. It’s been so appreciated that the children sometimes pretend to be sick, just so they can spend the night in one of the two sick rooms and play with the toys. We are so happy to be able to assist this fantastic organisation and so grateful to be a part of these wonderful and talented children’s lives!

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The clinic is dedicated and named after Greg’s grandmother, Maud Chapel.

It’s been a truly great and emotional day for us all and with that, we sign off for today.