Author: Kristel

On March 13 the Goducate Literacy Centers in Laguna, the Philippines, held their 4th “graduation” day for the 49 students who completed a year’s attendance at a center.

The program was held at the Goducate Training Center in Laguna, and was planned to build up relations with the parents and the community as well as to acknowledge the accomplishments of the students and the children, and the contributions of the teachers and the volunteer mothers.

The program ended with an inspirational message given by Mrs Linda Cristiian, one of the volunteer mothers. Her message was about the importance of education. A special point she made was that poverty need not be a hindrance to obtaining an education.

 

Last year Goducate published a book, “In the Shoes Of a Filipino Child”, in which 30 children in Goducate programs in Laguna, Philippines, wrote about their experiences and their aspirations. These children now have a carrot dangling before them. A Goducate supporter has offered to provide the fees for the tertiary education of any of these children who make it to that level. Three of these children are already benefiting from this offer. They are attending the Laguna State Polytechnic University. Two are studying information technology and one elementary education.

To help the others reach tertiary education, Saturday day tutorial classes for them were started in mid-July. Existing Goducate scholars (university students who are on Goducate scholarships) are the tutors who help the students with whatever subjects they are having difficulty with in school.

On the first Saturday, the students were asked about their dreams, which they wrote down, then read out. Their dreams included becoming a teacher, policeman, flight attendant, and other white-collar jobs.

Goducate hopes that these children will learn to appreciate the importance of an education in realizing their dreams, and that they can use their education to help themselves and others as well.

A few weeks ago 24 children from the Goducate music program in Laguna had a special outing to Manila. They went to listen to their violin teacher Liezl perform at a concert at Arellano University. As an additional treat, the children were brought to a large shopping mall in Manila. For some of the children, many of whom come from small villages in Laguna, it was their very first time in a large mall.

Liezl had just finished a three-month perfoming arts (singer/musician) course at Arellano University. It was a Phillipines TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) accredited course.

In 2011 Liezl was one of 5 violinists from the Goducate Orchestra who were selected by a Channel News Asia program, Once Upon A Village, to go to Singapore for a couple of weeks of intensive training at the Wolfgang Music Studio. Liezl was invited back by the studio for a couple more visits to prepare for the Grade 5 Trinity College music examinations in the violin, which she passed with a merit in mid-2012.

Since her return to Laguna she has been teaching the beginners and the juniors in the Goducate orchestra how to play the violin. Her students were very encouraged and inspired watching her perform at the concert to mark the end of her course. She said that she wants to teach them the right techniques, intonation, flexibility and style in playing the instrument.

We hope that the children in the music program will have the opportunities that Liezl has had to further their musical training, or to get scholarships to university on the strength of their musical ability, as several other Goducate musicians have done.