Learning Centers – Page 2 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2013-03-012013-03-02

Goducate moves into a squatter community in Batam

Batam is just an hour’s ferry ride from Singapore. From many parts of Batam, the sky-line of Singapore’s Central Business District can be seen quite clearly on a clear day.

Almost a million people live in Batam—the vast majority from other parts of Indonesia who come to look for employment in Batam’s many factories. When these people first arrive in Batam, the first challenge they encounter is to find an affordable place to stay in. Prices in Batam (especially housing prices) are about the highest in Indonesia because of the large numbers of Singaporeans who work and play there. So most newcomers end up staying in squatter areas where rentals are much cheaper.

Over a year ago, Goducate started weekend English classes in a squatter area in Batu Aji, Batam. Six months ago, we started a kindergarten for the children in that area. Last week we made a decision to expand the kindergarten to cope with the increased demand for spaces. Besides the much lower kindergarten fees, another reason for the demand is that we teach English to the children. This is unusual in Indonesia except in the high-end “international” kindergartens. In Goducate, we believe that the best time to learn a language is when children are young.

Last week our community development workers conducted a public health seminar for the mothers in the community. For most of the mums, it was the first time that they had attended a health seminar. Such education is especially important in a squatter area where toilets are “holes in the ground”, where water for washing is dirty and scarce, and where many of the children are under-nourished and prone to illnesses.

We have also purchased a piece of land in the “heart” of the squatter area to build a Goducate Community Center, where we hope to teach basic livelihood skills (eg, detergent making, welding).

We hope to transform this squatter area to a model community where needy Asians help themselves.

Public health seminar held in Goducate Kindergarten

On this land will rise Goducate Community Center!

2012-10-162012-10-17

Goducate goes to Timor

Last week, a 6-men team from Goducate visited the capital of Nusa
Tenggara Timor (NTT) to do a survey trip. The team included Goducate’s Indonesian Coordinator (Thomos), our Agricultural Consultant (Ric Patricio), and 3 other Filipinos who are considering serving in Goducate Indonesia.

NTT is in Eastern Indonesia and is one of the poorer provinces of Indonesia. One of the major causes of the under-developed economy is the lack of rainfall. For about 6-8 months of each year there is hardly any rain. Furthermore, the soil is largely hilly and rocky.

In Kupang (the capital of NTT) we spoke at a seminar attended by 40 local community development workers who are working with poor children. I spoke on Goducate’s philosophy of serving the poor and Ric spoke on the potential of promoting the moringa plant to alleviate the nutritional problems of poor children.

00001 — Looking at a precious source of water in arid Timor

00002 — Goducate team surveying a corn field

Moringa leaves gram for gram have 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 7
times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the calcium of milk, and 2 times
the protein of milk. Besides these commonly known nutrients, moringa
leaves are also packed with a host of other micronutrients that are
often lacking in the diet of many poor children. The moringa plant can
grow in almost any type of soil (except water-logged soil) and
continues to grow even in long periods of drought. It is therefore
very suitable for NTT and in fact is found growing in many parts of
NTT.

When we did a survey of the community, we found out that the residents
were unaware of the benefits of moringa consumption and seldom ate it
(even if the plant grew in their backyard).

We will be collecting more data about the community’s attitude to consumption and gathering some samples of local moringa seeds for our agricultural experts to assess.

We look to the day when Goducate will be able to help the people of NTT to help themselves with a resource that will thrive in their own backyard.

2012-09-182012-09-18

Goducate’s kindergarten in Batam is formally opened

In July, Goducate started a kindergarten in Batam for a nearby community. The kindergarten, called Sekolah TK Lentera Anak Bangsa (Light of the Children of the Nation Kindergarten School), was formally opened on Saturday by Goducate founder Paul Choo and the village head. Most of the day’s program, however, saw the participation of the kindergarten’s 26 students. The children come from a poor sprawling neighborhood of some 2000 huts with no running water.

Parents, some students, and guests at the opening

The kindergarten is housed in a shophouse a short distance from the neighborhood from which most of the children come. There are two classrooms downstairs, one for the 6-7-year-olds, and one for the under-6s, and a long activity room upstairs.

The three-pronged philosophy behind the kindergarten is to staff it with good teachers, to involve the cooperation of the parents in the children’s education, and to put an emphasis of the teaching of English. Goducate hopes that this approach will give the children a good start in their preparation for life in today’s international world.