Jane Walker, MBE Honored with 43rd Saint Teresa of Calcutta Awar

MAKATI CITY | What began as an encounter with children working amid Manila’s dumpsites three decades ago became a lifetime of service. On September 29, British humanitarian Jane Walker, MBE was honored as the 43rd Saint Teresa of Calcutta Awardee at the 47th Floor of RCBC Plaza in Makati City.

Presented by the AY Foundation, Inc. in partnership with JCI Manila, the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award, or STCA, recognizes individuals who have devoted decades of their lives to serving poor, marginalized and underserved communities.

This year’s celebration carried the theme “Leading Beyond Self, Loving Without Limits,” bringing together representatives of the Yuchengco Group of Companies, JCI Manila, humanitarian organizations, partners and guests to recognize a woman whose connection to the Philippines began almost by chance.

A Visit That Changed a Life

Walker first came to the Philippines in 1996. At the time, she had a career in newspaper publishing in the United Kingdom and no previous experience running frontline humanitarian programs.

But an encounter with children and families living and working around Manila’s dumpsites changed the direction of her life.

Moved by what she witnessed, Walker initially used her own money to establish a small daycare center for children in the community. What started as a personal response to poverty eventually grew into a much larger mission centered on education, child protection, nutrition, healthcare, livelihood and community development.

Walker later established the Philippine Community Fund in 2002, which later became known as the Purple Community Fund. From 2017 onward, she continued community based programs through Upskills+ Foundation Inc.

Her work sought not merely to provide immediate assistance, but to help families build sustainable livelihoods while giving vulnerable children the opportunity to move away from unsafe work and pursue an education.

Over time, what began with a daycare center developed into a humanitarian mission that would occupy the next three decades of her life. 

Three Decades Alongside Filipino Communities

Walker’s work expanded into communities in Tondo, Navotas, Baguio and various relocation areas, continuing through fires, typhoons, displacement and the COVID 19 pandemic.

Her programs combined education, child protection, feeding, healthcare, livelihood development, scholarships, housing assistance and disaster response.

At the same time, Walker worked to empower parents and adults through livelihood programs, income generating opportunities and social welfare assistance.

Her approach recognized that helping children escape poverty required addressing the circumstances of the families and communities around them.

What began as concern for children working among Manila’s waste therefore became something much broader: an effort to help families break cycles of poverty through education, opportunity and sustainable community development.

More Than Two Million Lives Reached

In her remarks during the ceremony, AY Foundation Chairperson Helen Y. Dee traced Walker’s humanitarian journey back to those first encounters with children and families living and working around Manila’s dumpsites.

Walker’s compassion and concern for the children, Dee recalled, propelled her to establish her first daycare center. That initial response soon took on a greater purpose.

She made it her mission to help break the cycle of poverty in underserved communities by protecting vulnerable children and empowering families through education, healthcare and sustainable community development.

Through the nonprofit organizations she established, Walker raised funds, implemented social welfare programs and capacity development initiatives, and provided access to education and essential needs.

Dee said Walker’s 30 years of humanitarian work have transformed the lives of more than two million individuals, with her efforts anticipated to reach millions more in the years ahead.

“Today, we proudly recognize this changemaker who has poured so much of herself into her community work and into the lives she has touched,” Dee said.

For Dee, Walker’s decades of service reflected the ideals represented by the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award itself.

She described Walker as a modern day reflection of Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s compassion and dedication, and as a leading example of what it means to “lead beyond self.”

Her life, character and the impact she has made on communities, Dee said, also serve as a reminder to “love beyond limits.”

A 43 Year Tradition of Service

Walker now joins the roster of men and women recognized through one of JCI Manila’s most enduring humanitarian programs.

Established in 1983, the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award is a partnership between JCI Manila and the AY Foundation recognizing individuals who have devoted at least 25 years of their lives to serving poor and underprivileged Filipinos.

The partnership forms part of the AY Foundation’s broader commitment to what the Yuchengco Group describes as “social return on investment,” where private capital is invested for the public good through initiatives that promote better health, education, income, housing and stronger communities.

The roots of the AY Foundation itself date to 1970, when Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco established the Bayanihan Foundation. It later became the AY Foundation and has since pursued programs in education, healthcare, nutrition, youth development, disaster assistance and community service.

For more than four decades, the STCA has sought out individuals whose contributions often happen far from public attention.

That tradition took center stage once again on September 29.

Honoring a Life of Service

The ceremony brought together the AY Foundation, JCI Manila, representatives of the Yuchengco Group of Companies, humanitarian organizations, partners and guests to celebrate Walker’s extraordinary journey.

Following the opening ceremonies, 2026 JCI Manila Secretary General Bobbit Castro formally acknowledged the distinguished guests.

AY Foundation Chairperson Helen Y. Dee delivered the welcome remarks, followed by a message from 2026 STCA Chairman Mar Leo Siggaoat.

A video presentation then chronicled Walker’s humanitarian journey before the formal presentation of the award.

Joining Dee onstage were 2026 JCI Manila President Edison “Eds” Ke, or Pres. Eds, Chairman Mar Leo Siggaoat and Ambassador Ramon “Dondon” Bagatsing Jr. for the presentation of the 43rd Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award and its accompanying award grant.

Walker subsequently addressed the gathering in her acceptance speech.

Leadership Beyond Recognition

In his message for this year’s STCA, Pres. Eds reflected on the kind of leadership represented by the award and its connection to JCI Manila’s call to Lead Beyond.

“Leadership becomes meaningful when it goes beyond personal ambition,” Pres. Eds wrote. “It is found in choosing to serve, giving our time and talents to those who need them most, and creating an impact that continues long after our own work is done.”

He noted that for more than four decades, the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Awards has stood as one of JCI Manila’s most enduring programs, recognizing individuals who quietly devote their lives to uplifting the poor, marginalized and underserved.

“Their stories remind us that meaningful leadership often happens far from the spotlight, where compassion and genuine service can transform lives,” Pres. Eds said.

For JCI Manila, that spirit resonates with the organization’s call to Lead Beyond, particularly the commitment to lead beyond the present generation and build a better future for those who will come after.

Pres. Eds also acknowledged the partnership between JCI Manila and the AY Foundation, as well as the Yuchengco Group of Companies, whose support has helped sustain the award across generations.

“The longevity of STCA is a testament to what we can achieve when we are united by a shared commitment to humanity,” he said.

She Chose the Philippines

Walker’s recognition carries particular resonance because she was not born in the Philippines.

She chose to make its communities part of her life’s work.

A journey that began in 1996 eventually meant leaving a successful career in newspaper publishing in the United Kingdom, establishing humanitarian organizations, raising support and spending decades working alongside communities whose struggles she could easily have witnessed and then left behind.

Instead, she stayed with the mission.

Her work continued through changing organizations, communities, disasters and crises. From children working around dumpsites to families seeking sustainable livelihoods, the mission grew, but its foundation remained remarkably consistent: seeing people in need and choosing to care.

Thirty years later, that decision has become a humanitarian journey that the AY Foundation says has touched more than two million lives.

The ceremony concluded with official photographs bringing together Walker, the AY Foundation, JCI Manila, the STCA Committee, partners and guests.

For Pres. Eds, the lesson of Walker’s journey went beyond the recognition she received that afternoon.

“May your journey remind us that we do not need great positions or recognition to make a difference,” he wrote. “Sometimes, the greatest impact begins simply by seeing someone in need and choosing to care.”

On September 29, the 43rd Saint Teresa of Calcutta Award honored what Jane Walker, MBE had accomplished over three decades.

But perhaps more importantly, it honored the choice that made those three decades possible in the first place.

To see. To care. To stay.

And in doing so, to lead beyond self and love without limits.