Guest * – Page 14 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2020-09-042020-09-29

Goducate Training Center in Iloilo serves as quarantine center for OFWs

One of the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from different countries all over the world. They had been working in cruise ships, restaurants, tourist establishments, hospitals, cargo ships, etc.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) had to ensure that the returning OFWs do not bring in and spread the infection in the Philippines. The OFWs had to undergo several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in their country where they had been working, and after arrival in the Philippines they had to be tested in Manila as well as in their hometown. They also had to be housed in a quarantine facility for a few days while awaiting the result of their PCR test.

At first, the government used public schools as quarantine facilities, but these turned out to be unsatisfactory for maintaining physical distancing and hygiene. Thus, hotels and resorts were used instead.

Since May this year, the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo has also been used as a quarantine facility for batches of OFWs. Food and other necessities are delivered to the OFWs at drop-off points. A few days after the arrival of a batch, Department of Health staff arrive to do PCR tests on the OFWs.

The OFWs have also been given unlimited access to wifi throughout their stay, to enable them to communicate with Goducate personnel as well as with their families. Because there had been reports of OFWs in quarantine elsewhere having mental-health difficulties, including two cases of suicide, each Goducate staff member who volunteers to be a friend is allocated one or two OFWs to befriend via Messenger. Children of GTC staff have also been preparing pretty notes with lovely messages for the OFWs.

*Notes made by children of Goducate staff for OFWs*

*Our guest writer is Carmela Damaso, a Goducate staff member.

2020-08-212020-09-18

Goducate Laguna continues to help community with food

Earlier on in the Covid-19 pandemic, Goducate Laguna distributed food to many hundred families (see Goducate blog 2020-04-17).

Through the generosity of some kind sponsors, Goducate Laguna was able, in August, to do another round of food distribution. A few of the 23 families that received the rice and groceries this time were those of Goducate volunteers.

*Our guest writer is Gemma Abrenilla, staff member in Goducate Laguna.

2020-07-312020-08-14

Goducate Sabah Uses Technology to Train Mothers to Teach

When the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia came into force on March 18 to try to slow the spread of the Covid-19 infection, families faced stresses such as job losses and having to cope with children at home, and some people went into mental depression. Fortunately, for the past few years Goducate Sabah had already been using digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger chats, and video calls to communicate with the mothers there. These platforms became especially helpful in offering emotional support to the community during the MCO period.

To continue with the training programs for the mothers on literacy, moral values, and health information, we started meeting the mothers on Zoom. Those mothers with smart phones invited neighbors without such phones to attend the Zoom sessions together. The teaching session was followed by an hour and a quarter of small-group discussions. These sessions added up to a great time of bonding in class despite the lockdown. They even helped us in identifying the needy homes and areas that most required the relief goods that we could distribute.

The teachers who teach the children in Sabah are mostly mothers with some level of school education whom we had trained to be teachers. With the MCO we needed more teachers, so we created a program called the Mothers’ Teaching Class, to teach English literacy in a way simple enough for mothers with low literacy levels to use to pass on what they learn to their children. This class is open to mothers who have mobile phones with WhatsApp or Messenger applications. We use the Facebook group to create our classroom in which we download our lessons for them to study and learn. Once a week we gather them for a 30-minute video call to discuss the lesson and to make sure the mothers have understood and can deliver the lesson. These calls not only give the mothers an opportunity to learn but also the chance to build friendships with other mothers in the class.

We have faced many challenges in using technology—for instance, buying data, availability of signal, and mothers’ willingness to participate actively in a video call. However, it just takes a compassionate teacher or trainer to handle these challenges. Since we are still in the very early phase of online teaching, we are doing the best to learn more ways to teach the mothers effectively. Fortunately, since movement restrictions were eased, and we are now able to have monthly physical gatherings to get feedbacks about the class.

*Our guest writer is the Goducate Sabah Training Coordinator.