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Goducate creates indoor park in Iloilo

Having fun together as a family is part of Filipino culture. An outdoor park for families was created at Camp Goducate, Iloilo (see blog, April 23). Now Camp Goducate has created an indoor park for families.

The facilities in the indoor park provide for exciting and thrilling sensory games, wall climbing, spider climbs, net tunnelling, basketball, archery, board games, table tennis, billiards. There are also trampolines, swings, slides, and sand boxes. The play structures are large  enough for adults or to accommodate a family. For example, the board for snakes and ladders is 15x larger than the usual size, so the game is played standing up rather than sitting down.

Healthy competition and team building are what this park aims to achieve by offering well-structured relays for family groups. The relay starts with sensory games, then board games, basketball, archery, net tunneling, and finally wall climbing. In this way family members are encouraged to plan, strategize, and solve difficulties together during the competition.

The park will open to the public as soon as the lockdown due to the Covid-10 epidemic is lifted. 

*Our Guest writer is Rebecca Depalubos, a Goducate staff.
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GoDeeds Talks Brings Light to the Needy

One of Goducate Laguna’s latest programs is “GoDeeds Talks”, an online program that is livestreamed on our official Facebook page every Thursday night, and that features the good deeds of individuals, institutions, or organizations. The aim of the program is to spread acts of kindness and to inspire people to display concern and compassion to others, especially in these trying times.

The first episode was launched on July 2, 2020, and the program celebrated its 1st anniversary on June 17 and 24, 2021.

At first it was challenging for the team to collect stories to feature, as well as to get funding for the program. But three young professionals from Living Water Baptist Church in Laguna and the GoDeeds Team helped to sustain and support the program for one year.

Over the year, GoDeeds Talks has become a movement or a channel, not just a simple program. Many partnerships were built during relief operations in Bicol, Rizal, and Cagayan when the team was doing community work, especially with police programs such as Barangayanihan (community pantry).

For the 1st anniversary celebrations, the team wanted a project that could be helpful for the community. The team thought up the Handog Liwanag Project (bringing solar light to the needy). They raised funds through their two anniversary programs. For the first program, musicians serenaded viewers, who sent in voluntary donations. Over the two weeks, enough funds were raised for 20 solar panels, which were immediately distributed and installed in homes without a source of electricity.

The second week’s program was an audiovisual presentation to update viewers about the program and inform them of the background of the beneficiaries of the Handog Liwanag Project.

The following link is about the Handog Liwanag Project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpMiQictmZs

*Our guest writer is Rossa Mae Diaz Luceno, a Goducate volunteer.

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Goducate provides potable water for villagers in Laguna, Philippines

Apart from providing housing for some families whose homes were destroyed by Typhoon Ulysses (see June 4 blog), Goducate has also partnered with Water Mission International to provide the families with potable water (see blog Mar 12). The completion of the potable water project was unveiled on May 29.

This area, Mariang Bukid, Tagumpay Bay, Laguna, did not have a source of safe and clean water. Some residents would buy a gallon of water for 10 pesos per container. Those who could not afford to buy containers of water had to put up with the water they got from the “poso” (dug-out wells).

Goducate can serve only 30 households per day with potable water because our water tank is quite small. It holds only 105 gallons. The greatest challenge is that many people are uncertain whether the water produced is really clean and safe for drinking. Mr Joy Ibañez, a volunteer with Water Mission International, has conducted some tests on the water and found it safe. However, we are waiting for the results of some microbiological and physicochemical tests of the water that would certify the water to be potable.

Unveiling of the potable water project
*Our guest writer is Rossa Mae Diaz Luceño, a Goducate volunteer.