Author: Bernard

An event was held for the children attending the kindergarten at the Goducate learning center in Lalao, Laguna, to observe “Buwan ng Nutrisyon” (Nutrition Month) and “Buwan ng Wika” (Language Month) . The theme of this event was “Wastong Nutrisyon Tungo sa Malusog na Kaisipan Upang Maging Huwaran” (Right Nutrition For a Healthy Mind). .

To help them learn about good nutrition in their daily lives, the children were fed some root crops and other good foods.

What most interested the kids and their parents, though, were their fancy dress outfits. As part of teaching them about their country and their national language, the children turned up dressed as national heroes or as past or present presidents of the country.

Early this month the Goducate Orchestra was hired to play at a wedding. 15 of the 25 members of the orchestra were given the privilege to play.

The wedding couple and guests were impressed, and our players enjoyed themselves.

What’s promising is that the photographer and the caterer offered to recommend us to their prospective clients. But what really put the smiles on the players’ faces was the fee they received—a full 200 pesos (USD 4.70) each, for their first pay packet!

As we had hoped, the Goducate music program is both an educational and a livelihood program.

Goducate recorder player Angelica Dacillo is a grade 6 student in elementary school. At the start of the school year her parents had a problem wondering whether they could afford to send all their 7 school-age children to school. We encouraged them to do so, and helped out by providing Angelica and her sister Christine with notebooks given by Goducate sponsors.

A week into the school term, the chairman of our barangay (village) called Angelica to tell her that she had been selected as a municipal government scholar. She had been selected by the Municipal Mayor Jose Padrid.

When Angelica went with her mother Melinda to the Municipal Mayor’s office to receive a certificate of scholarship (grade 6) for 1 year and a package of school supplies, the Mayor explained to Melinda how Angelica was selected. The Mayor had recalled that there was a group of children playing the recorder at the town’s Christmas celebration last year, and he identified Angelica from photographs of the event.

When they got home, Melinda asked Angelica what she would do with the school supplies, since she already had a set. Angelica said she would like to give them to fellow recorder player Mary Ann. Mary Ann had dropped out of school after the first week of term because she did not have the necessary books. Mary Ann cried with joy on receiving the books, and is now back at school.