Helping Asians Help Themselves
On Dec 13 I reported on how Goducate model-farm manager went to Dayap village to help start up our first backyard (or frontyard) farm. He has since returned to Nanayanita’s vegetable patch. The pictures show how the long-bean plants have grown.
Nanayanita and two other women from Dayap also visited our model farm to learn what can be done. These other two women have also started frontyard farming at home.
The Goducate music programme keeps kids off the streets and out of trouble. It teaches them discipline and teamwork. It gives them hope in life, it has earned some of them scholarships to school, and it has helped those who made it to the orchestra to earn some pocket money when they play at local events. They learn to help others, because the older students go out to teach beginners.
Most times we have no classrooms. If the students are lucky, they get their lessons in somebody’s home, maybe with light. If not, they get their lessons outdoors, sometimes almost in the dark. Recently one group found an interesting place for their lessons—-inside a Christmas tree.
Daisy is a grade 3 elementary school student. She is the youngest of three children, and the only one fortunate enough to be still in school. Her parents are both deaf. Her two siblings had to leave elementary school, because they were behind in their studies. They now work in the rice fields. They were supposed to enrol in our Alternative Learning System tutorials this year, but decided to join next year so that they can continue to earn money this year.
Daisy is attending our tutorials because no one at home can help her with her assignments. She is striving hard to learn. She is also getting music tutorials. Recently she proudly shared with music teacher Melissa that she has been asked to join other teenage students to play their recorders at the school Christmas party on Dec 17.
To build up self-confidence and self-esteem is quite hard on Daisy’s part because of her parents’ situation. Thankfully the tutorial programmes are helping her.
In Daisy’s village, Talahiban, we give tutorials twice a week. We do not yet have a building for this learning centre, so the tutorials are conducted in the open air.
The villagers here are very poor. Once a week we give the children some porridge with the tutorial sessions. Melissa herself is still a student who benefitted from our tutorials in another centre. She is now helping to teach music to others. She is very touched by how poor these students are and is saving her own money to buy personal items she knows they need.
