Clarisse – Page 5 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2013-06-072013-06-08

Staff from Goducate Training Center visit Indonesia

The number of countries in which Goducate is helping the needy is gradually increasing, and the Goducate Training Center is about to start training its fourth batch of students to be community development workers (CDWs). Circumstances and needs vary from place to place. For our trainers to be able to fine-tune the curriculum and prepare the trainees appropriately for their future postings, it is important and helpful for the staff to visit the places where the CDWs will later be deployed.

I and two other GTC staff members have just spent about 10 days in Indonesia on an exposure trip to Goducate projects in various parts of that country. We did not get to Indonesia on a direct flight so we went through the immigration checkpoints of different countries and learnt to get about on various forms of public transport. We saw that motorbikes were the commonest mode of private transport in Indonesia, and were terrified seeing how Indonesians zip in and out son their bikes.

We were exposed to Indonesian culture—its food, family traditions, arts, dances, and language. We enjoyed our exchanges with the locals in our limited Bahasa Indonesia and they in their limited English. We learnt how important it was to speak slowly when communicating in an unfamiliar language. We had fun learning Indonesia’s traditional dances and songs and appreciated the richness of its culture. We realised how Filipinos might have to adapt to the spicy food, but that should not be difficult for we soon were enjoying eating it, even with our bare hands.

We observed how Goducate workers entered communities and addressed their needs. For example, learning English was quite difficult for most Indonesians but learning it through songs and activities made it more interesting and easy to pick up. It was amazing to see how the locals would open their homes for the CDWs to help in areas of English, agriculture, health, and counselling. It was also fulfilling to see the locals mentored, and to see them mentoring other locals in the areas in which they had been trained.

The spirit of flexibility, hard work, and love are very important for every CDW to possess. We enjoyed the family spirit and hospitality exhibited by the Goducate workers who hosted and accommodated us. Such bonding time created an atmosphere of encouragement and unity.

This short exposure trip will help us in preparing the trainees to enter communities, not just with skills but most importantly with the right character and attitude that could bring love and hope to needy people.

2013-04-092013-04-10

Goducate Training Center welcomes first corporate guests from abroad

Goducate’s tagline is “Helping needy Asians help themselves”. Since Goducate expects the people we help to help themselves, it ought to practise what it preaches. Hence the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo was designed such that it could be made as self-sustaining as possible. To feed the staff and trainees rice, vegetables, and fruit are planted, and egg-laying hens are reared. On top of that, the center has several recreational facilities, to encourage visits by paying guests. It is one of the places that people in the province—mostly families, schools, companies, and individuals—enjoying going to, either on day trips or for short stays, for relaxation, recreation, and retreats.

At the end of last month, Goducate Training Center welcomed its first corporate guests from abroad. MHC Asia, Singapore, one of Goducate’s strong supporters, chose the center as the place to bring its employees to for an incentive trip. The group of 20 spent 2 nights at the center, staying either in the holiday villas or in the center’s “Sky City”..

The guests had fun harvesting vegetables and collecting eggs. They savored Filipino dishes as well as the mangoes and coconuts. They enjoyed boating, whizzing down the zipline, rock-wall climbing, fishing, and horseback riding. They delighted in hotdogs and marshmallows over a campfire with new Filipino friends. And they loved watching the stars under the cool night sky.

One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the communities Goducate is helping. They were able to mingle with the locals and learn some of their culture. They were touched by what they saw and were moved to want to help these people in the future.

One thing lacking at the Goducate Training Center is good access to wifi. But this was actually a plus point for corporate types who spend most of their time glued to computers or smartphone. What a relief it was to be able to really get away from work.

2013-04-052013-04-06

Goducate Training Center holds English camp for students in neighboring villages

Since February the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo has partnered with neighboring primary and secondary schools to hold remedial classes for those children who need help to cope with their schoolwork. Every week, each GTC trainee coaches 5-7 pupils in mathematics and English. At the end of the 5-week program, the teachers found that most of the pupils had improved noticeably in these subjects.

To aid these students further, 2 weeks ago the Goducate Training Center held a 3-day camp to help the children improve their oral English. The camp was also an avenue for GTC trainees to learn to teach English in creative ways. Learning was made fun through songs and activities. With a camp theme of Jungle Fun, the 70 campers, aged 9-13, were divided into four animal groups. Teamwork was encouraged through competitions, and throughout the camp good values such as friendliness, politeness, creativity, and a willingness to participate were reinforced. Tokens were given out for efforts made to speak English, and these tokens could be swopped for goods from the jungle store.

One of the highlights of this camp was the skills class. Students could choose to attend a session on electricity, container gardening, pastry making, craft, crochet, playing the recorder, hairstyling, first-aid, and acting. Everyone enjoyed the last night when they presented what they had learnt during the skills class. This summer will be fun for them, because follow-up activity through games and English and skills classes will start in the first week of April. Since most of the children come from poor families, some of the skills learnt might even turn out to be a means of livelihood for them.

As GTC trainees handled these kids, they learnt to be loving and patient to them. They were not just teachers who gave commands but leaders and friends. One comment of mother from the community was that, “My child really liked the camp because her teacher really loved her”.