Author: Guest *

Goducate tries to impact a community positively and give sustainable help to the barangay (village) that it is serving. We have found that training community leaders to help their own barangays is very useful in giving lasting assistance to the community.

However, it is good training not only of the leaders, but also of other members of the community, that will contribute to lasting help. Goducate has been training these people in the community, but decided that bringing them together for several days of intensive treatment might be more efficient. The first community in-house training was held in the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Iloilo from Nov 30 to Dec 5, 2015.

The training was open to everyone from the community. Ten people from all walks of life—farmers, mothers, professionals, young people—in four municipalities enrolled. They stayed at GTC throughout the week’s training. Some paid for their registration fee in cash, others in kind. The latter brought freshly harvested products from their farms to share with everyone.

The week-long training was designed to meet the present needs of the community—such as health awareness, health check-ups, leadership, and moral enhancement. The trainees learned basic knowledge and skills to conduct lectures in hypertension, diabetes, importance and benefits of moringa, making moringa powder, and proper hygiene and hand washing for children. They learned how to take blood pressure and check blood sugar analysis using a urine strip. Moreover, they accompanied Goducate CDWs to visit different communities to do community work. They also participated in actual health information drives in different areas as their final output. The week ended with the awarding of certificates of completion of training.

The trainees were thankful for the knowledge, skills, and experience they received and are eager to apply what they learned to help their own communities.

*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker

The 7th Goducate Training Center (GTC) Commencement Exercises held on Dec 18, 2015, was a joint graduation ceremony for those who completed training programs offered in GTC in 2015–namely, the training of Community Development Workers (CDWs), the Technical Education and Services Development Authority (TESDA) training, and the Alternative Learning System (ALS) training.

The event was graced by the ALS Local official, a TESDA Officer, and San Miguel Mayor Hon. Dunstan Claudio Sale. It was also attended by the graduating students’ relatives. In his address Mayor Sale gave a challenging message to the graduates.

The 17 newly qualified CDWs trainees are all eager to bring light and hope to their own communities. Some showed a keenness to help other needy Asian communities.

50 TESDA trainees who completed their required 436 hours (equivalent to 55 training days) of house-keeping training received their certificates of completion. Of these, 18 have passed the National Certification 2 examination on housekeeping, which makes them fully qualified housekeepers. The certificate is valid for 5 years. The other 32 will be taking their National Certification 2 examination next week. All of them hope their training will enable them to help their families escape poverty.

This year’s three ALS passers from the first batch were also given recognition. Most of the ALS 2nd batch of trainees also attended the ceremony. They will soon be taking the ALS Accreditation and Equivalency Examination. The ALS is a Philippines Department of Education program for people who have not finished their schooling to continue their school education.

GTC is proud of its graduates and believes that wherever they will go, they will uphold Goducate’s mission of Helping Needy Asians Help Themselves.

*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker

Although the main function of the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Iloilo is to train people to be community development workers, in the pursuit for excellence its staff and volunteers need to be continually learning new things. The topics for the staff-enhancement session held last month were intended to groom staff to run leadership and other programs, and to deal with the public.

The session was attended by staff, volunteers, and trainees. A seminar on proper decorum, grooming and hygiene was held in the morning, and a workshop on public speaking followed in the afternoon.

The proper decorum, grooming and hygiene seminar was designed to teach the participants how to be good stewards of their bodies, how to properly conduct oneself in public and how to look pleasing and appropriate for the occasion. The interactive seminar culminated with a challenge to each team to do a makeover and to dress up their chosen representatives.

The public-speaking workshop aimed to equip the participants to be good speakers and to increase their confidence in speaking to the public. The guest speaker gave an enriching and dynamic lecture. The activity ended with teams practising the essentials of public speaking with their group mates.

*Our guest writer is Joanna de Leon, a community development worker