Helping Asians Help Themselves
Earlier on in the Covid-19 pandemic, Goducate Laguna distributed food to many hundred families (see Goducate blog 2020-04-17).
Through the generosity of some kind sponsors, Goducate Laguna was able, in August, to do another round of food distribution. A few of the 23 families that received the rice and groceries this time were those of Goducate volunteers.
*Our guest writer is Gemma Abrenilla, staff member in Goducate Laguna.
When the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia came into force on March 18 to try to slow the spread of the Covid-19 infection, families faced stresses such as job losses and having to cope with children at home, and some people went into mental depression. Fortunately, for the past few years Goducate Sabah had already been using digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger chats, and video calls to communicate with the mothers there. These platforms became especially helpful in offering emotional support to the community during the MCO period.
To continue with the training programs for the mothers on literacy, moral values, and health information, we started meeting the mothers on Zoom. Those mothers with smart phones invited neighbors without such phones to attend the Zoom sessions together. The teaching session was followed by an hour and a quarter of small-group discussions. These sessions added up to a great time of bonding in class despite the lockdown. They even helped us in identifying the needy homes and areas that most required the relief goods that we could distribute.
The teachers who teach the children in Sabah are mostly mothers with some level of school education whom we had trained to be teachers. With the MCO we needed more teachers, so we created a program called the Mothers’ Teaching Class, to teach English literacy in a way simple enough for mothers with low literacy levels to use to pass on what they learn to their children. This class is open to mothers who have mobile phones with WhatsApp or Messenger applications. We use the Facebook group to create our classroom in which we download our lessons for them to study and learn. Once a week we gather them for a 30-minute video call to discuss the lesson and to make sure the mothers have understood and can deliver the lesson. These calls not only give the mothers an opportunity to learn but also the chance to build friendships with other mothers in the class.
We have faced many challenges in using technology—for instance, buying data, availability of signal, and mothers’ willingness to participate actively in a video call. However, it just takes a compassionate teacher or trainer to handle these challenges. Since we are still in the very early phase of online teaching, we are doing the best to learn more ways to teach the mothers effectively. Fortunately, since movement restrictions were eased, and we are now able to have monthly physical gatherings to get feedbacks about the class.
*Our guest writer is the Goducate Sabah Training Coordinator.
To cater to youth stuck at home and no school to attend because of restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Goducate conducted its first online youth camp on May 30-31. The camp was for youth in Malaysia, where the government has imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO), and in the Philippines, where there is Enhanced Community Quarantine (CQ).
Over 50 participants, the majority from Sabah, Malaysia, attended the camp, which was titled “Mission Grounded Life: True Keys to Successful Living”. Goducate Philippines volunteers were the speakers for the main topics, which were Smart Use of Technology and Mental Wellness. In the afternoon there were skill-based interactive sessions on topics ranging from basic gardening, personality development, home making, basic home first aid, and sports such as basketball and volleyball. These sessions were led by specialists from the Philippines and facilitators from Goducate Sabah, Malaysia.
Goducate Sabah is aiming to reach out to the youth both in Malaysia and the Philippines, regardless of culture, religious affiliation, and backgrounds, through creating digital platforms and educating our youth to be responsible and productive during this pandemic. The two-day camp was run using the software Zoom, which has breakout sessions that allow participants to be divided into smaller groups for more detailed discussion and interactions.
During this Online Zoom Camp, participants learnt how to make a video, as individuals or as teams, that show what they learned in the camp. There were games and contests too, for the participants, to enjoy and to get to know each other better. Maurelline, one of the youth facilitators shared, “It was a great experience. I was nervous in the beginning but with the guidance of the organizers I was able to do it”.
*Our guest writer is the Goducate Sabah Training Coordinator.