SiGMA FOUNDATION
Welcome to the SiGMA Foundation! As the philanthropic arm of SiGMA Group, our mission is to empower underserved individuals and communities around the world through fundraising activities, charity work, education programs, and skills training. Take a moment to learn more about the impact we’re making. Together, we can create transform lives for the better and forge a lasting legacy of positive change. The SiGMA Foundation is a registered member of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.
A Philanthropic Arm Of SiGMA Group
With the world in dire need of philanthropy, the SiGMA Foundation is leading the charge. As the philanthropic arm of the SiGMA Group, the Foundation is dedicated to supporting those who are most in need.
The SiGMA Foundation was founded in 2019 by Keith Marshall, Austin Cachia and Eman Pulis, Founder of SiGMA Group, with a mission to make philanthropy more participatory and engaging. Keith, who is known for his boundless energy, has dedicated his life to making a difference in the lives of thousands of people through various expeditions across the globe. With a fun and engaging approach to fundraising, the Foundation prioritises supporting underprivileged communities through active giving and aims to create meaningful impact in the world.
Fun and Engaging Approach
With a fun and engaging approach to fundraising, the Foundation prioritises supporting underprivileged communities by selecting the most feasible and deserving projects from a range of excellent proposals presented to it each year. A perfect example is the 3-in-1 school built by the SiGMA Foundation in Bonga, Ethiopia, which was inaugurated only last January. The project made use of over €300,000, funds raised throughout several of the Foundations fundraising events.
Great ideas require funding to not wither on the vine. The SiGMA Foundation invests significant time and effort into organising and executing fundraising events, such as hikes across Malta, Spain, and other locations, as well as art auctions, bake sales, whiskey tastings, and other creative initiatives to raise funds for their causes.
The money we raise funds our many projects, thereby supporting communities in need and often aiding other charitable organisations. Contributors can aid the Foundation through sponsorships, donations or active participation in one of our many events.
“It’s not necessarily about money,” Keith is fond of saying, calling to arms anyone with some time and energy to spare. “We all have the power to enrich the world, and the smallest contribution is just as precious.”
Driving The Organization Towards Excellence
Our initiatives are firmly founded in education, offering both financial support and opportunities for learning new skills and becoming self-sufficient. We believe education is crucial in ending poverty and that our focus should be on building people, not just buildings. Beyond financial aid, we prioritise bringing education to those most in need, such as providing laptops to families during COVID, and funding educational facilities at a horse farm in Gozo.
Finally, the Foundation is directed by a team fully committed to driving the organisation towards excellence, with special attention given to transparency and responsible use of funds. Alongside CPO Keith Marshall, directors Austin Cachia, John Vella and Matthew Spiteri, work tirelessly to ensure that every donor and associate is valued and that funds are used effectively and efficiently.
With various parts of the world in turmoil, it’s clear that we must come together to turn compassion into action and create a world where every life can thrive. Let’s join hands and make a difference today.
RELATED NEWS
SiGMA Foundation
Upcoming missions and fundraising events
Mission: The G.L.O.W Campaign
The SiGMA Foundation’s G.L.O.W (Give Little Ones Wings) Campaign is a novel initiative aimed at supporting underprivileged children worldwide in overcoming various challenges.
The G.L.O.W Campaign is a distinctive opportunity for the SiGMA Foundation to make a positive impact in the lives of these children and give back to society. By supporting this initiative, partners and clients will not only contribute to a good cause but also associate themselves with a socially responsible and philanthropic undertaking.
G.L.O.W Mission 1 – Supporting children in Colombia with Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
The campaign’s inaugural mission, financed by the proceeds from CSR packages, will focus on aiding children in Colombia with Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate.
The campaign will centre around the SiGMA Foundation’s on-ground operations in Colombia, which will entail a four-day trek through the Amazon called the Lost City Trek scheduled for December 2023. The aim is to assist these children in rebuilding their confidence, boosting their self-esteem, and restoring their smiles.
The Foundation has partnered with Premium Care Kids to execute this initiative, with each operation costing around €800. This venture is intended to assist more than 120 children.
Mission: The Women Empowerment Project, Bonga, Ethiopia
The SiGMA Foundation is proud to be partnering with the Catholic Vicariate of Jimma Bonga, Ethiopia to launch the Women Empowerment Project.
Our 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 Women Empowerment Project has an estimated cost of €710,321.67, with €200,000 pledged by the SiGMA Foundation. To reach this goal, the Foundation will be hosting various fundraising events and collaborating with other partners who share the same vision.
Fundraising: Camino de Santiago – April 2023, September 2023
The SiGMA Foundation is teaming up with Brown’s Group of Pharmacies to embark on another Camino de Santiago expedition. The Foundation is currently training its members for the upcoming April expedition, which will be their fourth trip in less than two years. Anyone from within the iGaming industry is welcome to join any of the weekly training treks. See video.
The Foundation has plans for a fifth expedition in September 2023, with a goal of bringing 30 people along. The funds raised from these expeditions will be used to refurbish an existing school in Bonga and build a new wing. The inauguration of the new wing is scheduled to take place towards the end of 2023.
Fundraising: Mount Toubkal – May 2023
Trekking up a mountain is not just about the destination, but also the climb. In line with CPO Keith Marshall’s philosophy of “active philanthropy,” the journey aims to provide spiritual fulfillment and growth for all participants, in addition to raising funds.
This isn’t the first mountain climb that the Foundation has taken on, as Keith previously led an annual “Kilimanjaro Challenge” series beginning in 2004. The team successfully summited the highest free-standing mountain, reaching an altitude of 20,000 feet and raising €1 million for various causes in Ethiopia and Kenya.
PAST MISSIONS AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Mission: 3-in-1 School in Bonga, Ethiopia (2023)
In January 2023, the SiGMA Foundation made a momentous achievement, as they inaugurated a 3-in-1 school in Jimma Bonga, Ethiopia. The school includes a kindergarten, primary, and junior-secondary, and 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 over the course of a year and a half, which enabled the SiGMA Foundation to raise €300,000.
Fundraising: Art Auctions at SiGMA Group’s Events (2022)
During Malta Week 2022, a record-breaking amount of €114,050 was raised for charity through the sale of selected paintings during its Awards Nights. The SiGMA Europe Awards Night’s Art Auction contributed the most, with a record-breaking sale of €91,000 on November 15th.
Fundraising: Brown’s Camino de Santiago (2021)
During Malta Week 2022, a record-breaking amount of €114,050 was raised for charity through the sale of selected paintings during its Awards Nights. The SiGMA Europe Awards Night’s Art Auction contributed the most, with a record-breaking sale of €91,000 on November 15th.
Mission: Local Projects (2020)
Flexibility has often been asked of the SiGMA Foundation, such as during the COVID pandemic, when the Foundation was required to expand its scope and increase its outreach. Through various creative and innovative initiatives, the Foundation was able to make an impact on the world, this time in the local Maltese scene.
Get involved as a participant or sponsor
Do you feel the call to make a difference? Whether you want to contribute your ideas, donate or join us for an upcoming fundraising event, we welcome your passion and commitment to positive change.
Your journey with the SiGMA Foundation begins with a single message to the SiGMA Foundation Facebook page, or directly to Keith Marshall himself. Join us and ignite the embers of generosity in your heart, transforming them into a passionate flame of positive action.
TESTIMONIALS
Robert Farrugia
I love what Keith Marshall and the SiGMA Foundation are doing with the underprivileged in Ethiopia and we felt it only befitting that Missio Malta would take a good step forward to assist with their efforts on the ground. Long may they continue.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel
The School in Jimma Bonga inaugurated last January by the SiGMA Foundation means education for 1,000 students annually. Education is the base for development and peaceful living, as well as fraternity and solidarity, and I thank all of the Maltese people who have been helping our poor through the SiGMA Foundation.
Bishop Markos Ghebremedhin
I’ve known Keith Marshall for about twenty years, and he has a very soft, generous heart. Through the Kilimanjaro Challenges and later the SiGMA Foundation, he has dramatically impacted the lives of 1000s of children, something our Vicariate will be eternally grateful for. We welcome with open arms anyone that is willing to contribute to the SiGMA Foundation and continue their good work among the poorest of our community.
Abba Samuel
The SiGMA Foundation has been our long-term partner and collaborator in terms of education. The groups of people they are bringing to support us in Jimma Bonga have impacted many things in the lives of our children. When you teach a generation, you are building the future, and the SiGMA Foundation has been crucial to us in this regard.
Abba Kifle
For us in Ethiopia and the Vicariate of Jimma Bonga, Malta is a very important island precisely because of people like those in the SiGMA Foundation. The Foundation fully understands that you must act now to build a better tomorrow. We are grateful for the dozens of generations that are going to benefit from the Foundation’s and Keith Marshall’s love and dedication to education.
Sister Lutgarda
The SiGMA Foundation is improving the way of living of many families in Ethiopia. They have provided us with new tools and resources to help our young learn new skills and create better lives for themselves and their families. We thank the SiGMA Foundation and pray for their continued success in their work, and I thank God for bringing such wonderful people into our lives. May God bless the SiGMA Foundation and all those who support their mission to help those in need.
MEET THE TEAM
Keith Marshall
Board Chairperson
Energetic, fun-loving pharmacist – a fundraising force of nature! He’s raised over €1 million for various causes in Ethiopia and Kenya with his “Kilimanjaro Challenge” project. Whether he’s trekking or building for communities, he’s always helping others. For Keith, “it’s their right and our duty”
John Vella
Board Member
Matthew Spiteri
Board Member
Austin Cachia
Treasurer
A true jack-of-all-trades (and a master-of-most to boot!), with diverse hobbies ranging from microlight flying to herbalism. Austin’s passion for charity work began with the Kilimanjaro Challenge in 2014 and continued in Ethiopia, where he helped raise €65,000 to build a kindergarten.