On May 25 the Goducate Training Center celebrated the completion of the first training module taken by its first batch of full-time trainee community development worker (CDW).
These 33 trainees, from Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia and China, had
undergone a rigorous 2-month program in agriculture, teaching methods, literacy teaching, counseling, etc. Before they took a well-deserved one-week break before returning to finish the remaining 6 months of their course, they presented a Culminating Program to showcase what they had learnt.
The guests included officials from San Miguel town (the town in which GTC is situated), parents of the trainees, and supporters of Goducate.
To me the highlight of their presentation was the ability of the trainees to work across cultures, to produce creative items, and to express themselves articulately. The master of ceremonies for the day was an Indonesian trainee who spoke confidently in English. Having known him before he came to GTC, I was amazed how much had changed in a mere 2 months. The Chinese and Cambodian trainees also comfortably fitted into their English-speaking roles. Filipino trainees spoke in accent-perfect (almost!) Mandarin and Khmer (Cambodian) in preparation for future work in China and Cambodia.
After watching them, I was confident that they had the potential to be effective CDWs — who could enter needy communities to help them to help themselves.
