Eltee – Page 2 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2013-12-032018-10-25

Progress with Goducate projects in Myanmar

A visit by a Goducate team to our Children’s Home west of Yangon 5 months ago was the first time we met its ten residential children face to face. The children were shy and just about to get used to the place and with each other. They came from families that could not care for them. A recent visit in November showed a different picture. The children were laughing happily with confidence showing on their faces. And they have grown taller and bigger, thanks to the nourishing food. Except for the very young, the children attend public schools and have a proper home environment. The Home is now on the way to becoming one happy big family!

We dropped by Village 1, north of Yangon. Our two Goducate workers have been going there to teach children whose parents labor all day long carrying rocks and washing used liquor bottles for reuse, and have no time to take care of them. The children do not go to school and thus look forward to such “school” visits. And they are not disappointed. Even some mothers turn up on their rest days to observe how their children are getting on. “Classes” continue to be held in the front yard of a very supportive farmer. To provide shade for the children he has recently constructed a wooden frame on which he grows creeping plants.

The more fortunate children at Village 2 attend school. Before and after school, they look forward to gathering at a bamboo structure that serves as a “community center”. Their parents too enjoy the facility. Here, fun and games go hand in hand with learning.

We visited other villages. Like the first two villages, we were very much welcomed as children flocked to gather for their learning sessions. It takes many hours for our workers to get to these villages by public transport, so the villagers do not know exactly when they will arrive. The children, knowing of a visit, will eagerly be on the lookout, and will gather within 15 minutes of spotting our workers. These gatherings are not only for the children. They also serve as glue for strengthening community bonding. And it is often the practice that the host family in the villages visited prepares something for the children to eat.

Our whirlwind trip was tiring, but it was time well spent, seeing how Goducate work brings happiness to the villages. Each child has a potential. Goducate’s aim is to direct this potential to delightful, useful and productive outcomes for the child, the family, and the community.

Goducate patron presenting motorcycle to our local staff — The motorcycle donated by Goducate to the local staff

Children at the Home singing "Old, old, old" — Children at the Home singing “Old, old, old”

Goducate patron presenting token of appreciation to farmer at village 1 — Presentation of token of appreciation to farmer at village 1

2013-11-292013-12-02

Goducate’s Sing Your English program is a success in Myanmar

Four young ladies from Singapore went to Myanmar as Goducate’s Sing Your English (SYE) ambassadors from 21 to 24 November 2013. Their mission was to test how SYE might be received in communities where English is hardly heard, let alone spoken. The ladies looked forward to meeting the children in the four villages they were to visit. Yet apprehension and anxiety went with them as this would be the first time SYE entered such an environment.

SYE passed the test with flying colours! Our ladies led the gatherings of children and their curious parents from song to song and helped them understand the meanings of the simple English words sung. Actions when singing drove the enthusiasm. Although initially the children sang along with the songs played, they were quickly able to sing the songs by themselves without the accompanying music and lyrics. The adults in the crowd prodded the children along with gestures and enjoyed every moment of the sessions, seeing their little ones in action and song. To many of the participants, the sessions ended too soon. But this built up their appetites for more—which will be offered by our local workers, who were trained during our visit to use SYE to teach children.

As for the four young ladies, they were able to report a successful mission and a versatile SYE!

Singing SYE song "My ears, my mouth,my eyes" — Singing SYE song “My ears, my mouth,my eyes”

2013-06-18

Goducate offers needy Myanmar children a home

Ten needy children in Myanmar are being cared for in a home supported by Goducate. Two have been orphaned. The other eight are either from single-parent families or have no homes since both parents have remarried. All are poor. Their ages range from 5 to 14.

The children are settling down well into the home’s family environment. They are getting used to their “new parents and siblings”, and the older ones have started to attend public schools.

It is our wish that the children will learn to care for one another and be familiar with the duties assigned to them. The children will have the love and togetherness that eluded them with their natural parents. This in turn will give them the desire and confidence to care for others and eventually become useful and responsible young adults. Home for now is an apartment about an hour’s drive east of Yangon.

Choosing clothes given by Goducate supporters