As Goducate founder Dr Paul Choo has reminded us, “Poverty continues in a world of plenty! Ignorance persists in spite of the explosion of knowledge! Goducate was started to address these disturbing trends. Goducate Training Center was established to train world-class Community Development Workers who will ‘Go and Educate’ Asians to help themselves.” It’s an aim that has guided the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in the training it has developed over its 3 years of existence.
The focus of the training for the different batches of students has varied according to how they were most likely to be deployed. For example, for some batches the focus was more on agricultural work, and for some it was more on teaching English as a second language. Another change that has taken place is the much greater emphasis now put on practical training in the community.
At first the community work was done in the handful of barangays (villages) around the training center, but it has now been extended to villages in four towns of Panay, and also to the island of Leyte. Leaders from the communities are raised and serve as our key contacts in the barangays. Our newly launched project for this year, called “CDWs for the Barangays” aims to help 400 new barangays, mainly with health education.
A third anniversary breakfast celebration was held on Feb 11, with trainees and trainers sharing experiences.
*Our guest writer is Joanna de Leon, a Goducate volunteer CDW.