The SiGMA Foundation – on the right trek to South America
Digging deep into pockets to help a just cause is a safe bet when one wants to be charitable. However, an ever-growing number of people are making the conscious decision to embark on a journey where they help build themselves towards the ultimate goal of helping others. This is precisely what the SiGMA Foundation is about.
In his speech during the first day of the SiGMA Asia Summit, Mr Keith Marshall, Chief Philanthropy Officer introduced the Foundation as a platform for people to engage in and build themselves through helping others. The following are some past and future SiGMA Foundation projects.
Ethiopia
Mission: 3-in-1 School in Bonga, Ethiopia (2023)
Man on a mission: Keith Marshall, CPO SiGMA Foundation, giving his speech during SiGMA Asia 2023
In January 2023, the SiGMA Foundation inaugurated the 3-in-1 school in Jimma Bonga, Ethiopia. It is the largest school ever built by Maltese outside Maltese shores. The school includes a kindergarten, primary, and junior-secondary It is expected to provide a solid foundation in education to approximately 1,000 students each year. The building of the school was made possible by the funds raised from three separate iterations of Brown’s Camino de Santiago expeditions which enabled the SiGMA Foundation to raise €300,000.
During his speech Keith Marshall talked about the journey that led to the inauguration of the school. He says it involved “getting people together, building friendships, building platforms, fundraising, building support systems, building schools and ultimately building lives.”
Women Empowerment Project, Jimma Bonga, Ethiopia
The Women Empowerment Project, Keith explained during SiGMA Manila summit, “will cost approximately a quarter of a million euro and we involve training women in four verticals”. The goal is to establish a state-of-the-art skill development centre that will offer training in areas like IT, culinary skills, hairdressing, sewing, and embroidery. The SiGMA Foundation is partnering with the Catholic Vicarage of Jimma Bonga for this project.
The Philippines
The SiGMA Foundation has been working on projects in the Philippines, working closely with Fr Joe Cremona, MSSP. One of the completed projects includes helping with financing the provision of a solar panelling system for the José Depiro Formation Centre in Bataan. Another project was helping with the reconstruction of the roof of the church within the centre. Projects in the works for the SiGMA Foundation include building a multi-sensory hall within the Centre and housing construction in the areas of Batiawan, Philippines. All the proceeds from the SiGMA Manila awards held in July are financing these two projects.
in January we’re going to start off something which is new to us but everything starts from somewhere and this is a trek towards the lost city in the Sierra Nevada Northern Colombia every person joining will be obliged if you will to finance the operation for the Reconstruction of a cleft lip and or cleft palate
In Marshall’s own impassioned words, “our ethos is: do what you can, when you can, for whom you can. Within the bounds of an adventure or an expedition, bringing people together so that we can work towards the betterment of the children that we serve. That’s our ethos, our mantra, our credo, and long may it live.”
A new adventure is on the cards – First Mission G.L.O.W.
SiGMA’s G.L.O.W. is a campaign that gives little ones wings, supporting underprivileged children worldwide in overcoming various challenges. For its first mission, the SiGMA Foundation has partnered with Premium Care Kids to support children in Colombia with cleft lip and cleft palate. The mission’s fund-raising campaign includes a four-day Lost City Trek scheduled for January 2024, where post-trek, the whole team involved will meet the kids benefitting from this campaign.
Talking exclusively to SiGMA news, Keith explained that each operation costs 800 euros. The mission aims to help a total of 100 kids with funding already secured for 40 operations. Participants in the trek will each sponsor at least 800 euros to cover one operation, with donations already coming in from people who are unable to do the trek but believe in the project and are providing sponsorship.
Get involved with the SiGMA Foundation
In Marshall’s words, the Foundation provides anyone wanting to get involved with “a voice to strive for the voiceless.”
SiGMA Foundation, founded in 2019, is the philanthropic arm of SiGMA Group with a mission to empower underserved individuals and communities around the world through fundraising activities, charity work, education programmes, and skills training. Find out more here.
