Jane Walker - Founder & CEO

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Jane Walker first visited the Philippines in 1996 and after reading a newspaper about families who lived in shanty towns, she asked a taxi to take her to the worst squatter area he knew. It was there that Jane followed two children onto the Pier 18 dump site, she was so shocked to see how children and families lives that she decided to start a small  day care centre for young child workers and funded this from her own savings.  In 2002 Jane registered with Charity Commission the Purple Community Fund and established two successful charities, one in the UK to raise funds for the second charity started in the Philippines called Upskills+ Foundation Inc. PCF has helped over 2 million Filipinos in over 20 years benefiting 10.5 million of their family members!

Jane let go of a successful career in the newspaper industry to start the charities and since has been awarded an MBE in recognition of her work in the Philippines by the late Queen Elizabeth 11, along with the Woman of the Year Award by the Women of Year Foundation. Jane is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Makati Bel Air, also a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International and has received multiple awards for her charitable work. Jane has been instrumental in the building of the world’s first building made from 78ft out of service shipping containers which became a school and now is being developed into a technical and vocational centre for the wider community.

Jane lived for a time on the dump site with families and became a waste picker so that she could learn about the challenges the families face, this enabled her to develop services that would ensure children stayed in school. Jane started a food for school program that has been recognized by Deped whereby children can earn rice incentives for school attendance and canned food and fresh vegetables for academic and behavioral achievements.

Jane says her passion comes from her turbulent childhood, where at 15 years old her parents made her homeless, and because of her education she was able to get work and a career in the newspapers. Her empathy for children and their families has been the driving force for Jane and her team and she now considers the Philippines as her home.

The charities run highly effective poverty reduction programmes for disenfranchised communities in some of the worst slums in Manila and also in Irisan dump site in Baguio and   in resettlement areas in Bulacan, Naic  and Navotas. This is achieved through a holistic approach, providing integrated services in education, health and nutrition, social welfare and livelihood and skills training.

Scholarships are provided and support children in education from preschool through to college and university. A strong mentoring, tutorial,out of school activities and preparation for university and employment gives the children every chance of success for employment.  96% of all the children who are educated through the charity go onto to college and university and are able to pursue a professional career.

Jane and her team work together to look after the whole family so that when children leave education their parents do not become dependent on their children to meet their needs.

Since 2006, established and successful livelihood programmes are in place for the children’s parents through the acquisition of new skills through upcycling waste materials, and vocational courses and start up business loans.

Jane and her team have developed a brand of eco clothing, manufacturing handbags from the ring pulls from canned drinks and more recently footwear from airplane and truck tyres.

These products are sold all over the world and after 18 years have become a sustainable source of income for parents.

More recently Jane has started two vegetable farms and an egg production farm providing employment and access to food in response to combat the effects of the pandemic.

The charities health services have been extended to include access to health in the rural areas while the government clinics remain closed during the pandemic and started pre- and post-natal services. A small community feeding program for 100 malnourished children and senior citizens started in 2020 although with more funding the charity has the infrastructure to feed up to 500 people a day.

Jane says  “Through so much poverty, hardship and adversity families remain hopeful, happy, kind, loving and resilient. They have been the example to me, teaching me how to live my best life and I couldn’t imagine living any other life than the one  I do now. Loving Filipinos and working together to end injustice and poverty by creating a pathway so that children and their families can live the life they have dreamed about is  - my greatest passion.”.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Shop

By purchasing our products, you are directly helping us to change lives as all proceeds going directly back into our poverty reduction programs www.p-c-f.org/shop.

Sell

Help sell PCF products - to find out more about selling our products visit our website www.p-c-f.org

Speak

Spread the word about the work of PCF. Or if you would like to have a presentation at your work, school or club please get in touch e: info@p-c-f.org t: 01489 790219

Upcycle

Join the ring pull revolution! Send us as many pull tabs off the top of drinks cans as you can!

Donate

86p of every pound donated to PCF goes directly to our projects overseas. If you’d like to donate or make a regular donation, please visit w: p-c-f.org/donate, call us t: 01489 790219 or e: info@p-c-f.org

For more information or how to donate please visit our website www.p-c-f.org  or contact by email info@p-c-f.org

To contact Jane please email her jane@p-c-f.org