Guest * – Page 73 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2011-06-102012-01-06

ieatishootipost, Hokkaido Sushi, and MHC Asia raise support for Goducate

Last month, Dr Leslie Tay, Singapore’s popular food blogger organized another dinner in support of our kids in Sabah.

Dr Tay and his community of foodies have already visited Goducate’s literary centers in Sabah on two different occasions – and at the same time enjoyed Sandakan’s delicious seafood.

The ieatishootipost community “eats with purpose”. That community has organized
many eating sessions to raise support for needy people – and Goducate’s poor kids in Sabah are fortunate to be their “favorites”!

Dr Tay is a genuine foodie and often organises dinners that combine enjoyment of the finest food with support for a good cause. Last month, he chose Hokkaido Sushi (at M Hotel, Anson Road, Singapore) to educate, with the help of Chef Thomas Kok, his community on the fine points of sushi eating.

Hokkaido Sushi very generously contributed 30% of the night’s takings to Goducate (Sing $2040), and our faithful and generous supporter, MHC Asia, matched that contribution dollar for dollar – thus raising Sing $4080 for Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah.

Next month, another group of ieatishootipost foodies will visit Sabah and see first-hand how their “makan with a mission” helps thousands of poor kids get an education.

ScreenShot531 — Having fun learning about sushi

2011-06-01

Kids in Sumatran plantations need schooling

Last week I visited a friend’s palm oil plantation 2 hours from the city of Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia.

My friend is an Indonesian who has started about 10 schools in different parts of Indonesia. Each of the schools she has started is a proper school offering standard education to poor Indonesian children. However, she is concerned about the many millions of Indonesian children who live in farms and plantations and who are unable to attend school because the nearest school is just too far away. The population density in these rural settings is too low to justify the establishment of proper schools.

She is familiar with Goducate literacy centers and wanted me to see first-hand the situation in rural Indonesia. I took a 2-hour car ride on a winding, pot-holed road from the modern city of Pekanbaru. Then I had to transfer to a motorbike for the 2 kilometer ride to the plantation. It was definitely more exciting than a roller-coaster ride in Disney World! I reached the plantation “headquarters” after sunset. Most of the kids were at the “headquarters” because of the TV set there. At 11pm, the generator set was switched off, and then I went to bed.

The next morning I surveyed the community of about 20 workers and their families who were housed in simple barracks. There were about 20 school-aged children in the community. The nearest school was an hour’s walk away. It was a private school, whose fees many could not afford.

This challenging situation is common to many parts of Asia. How can Goducate help these poor people to educate their kids? I don’t know, but I know that we cannot ignore this problem.

photo(39) — Plantation vehicle and barracks

2011-05-302018-09-23

Lifepegs Members Sell The Goods They Bought In Shenyang

Early this month 45 Lifepegs members from Changchun went to Shenyang on a buying trip, the aim being to choose goods they would be able to sell on their return to Changchun. These budding entrepreneurs were divided into teams. Each team member contributed 50 RMB towards the capital the team would have to spend on the goods they bought.

Part 2 of this training on small-business knowledge and techniques took place a couple of weeks later at the Lifepegs clubhouse. Each team had a table on which to display their wares, and two teams even set up shop in the open (for as long as the rain held off) to attract more buyers. There were about 2 hours for the sale, during which the building was packed out with interested shoppers. For foreigners, it was a chance to practise their bargaining skills. With their receipts, purchasers were allowed to pop balloons with darts, and those who successfully popped a balloon were given a delicious baked treat. The whole place was full of noise and excitement.

The winning team (the team that made the largest profit) was declared the winner. Profits were shared by team members.

Apart from the time reminiscing about the trip and putting business skills into practice, members were able to enjoy some special performances such as a few great solos, a guitar performance and a group singing in Cantonese.

Shopping5 — Receiving instructions about the sale

Guest writer Leah, Volunteer from China