Malaysia – Page 23 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2010-10-042010-10-04

Filipinos from Singapore visit fellow Filipinos in Goducate Literacy Centers, Sabah

Delighted to step for the first time on the thriving city in Sabah, known as the gateway for ecotourism destinations in Sabah. Together with the team, we are delighted to experience the bounty seafood in one of the famous restaurant.

As we are traveling to the first Goducate teaching center, I noticed the great economic potential of the city. Housing and malls constructions are on the rise. The highways are constructed accordingly, wide, clean and with few cars.

At the first teaching center, we were thrilled to see the kids are all lined and are ready for the games. It was difficult at first to give directions for we don’t speak their language but with simple English and demonstrations the children were able to pick up the instructions and played the games with happiness.

This girl with all delight and might jumps to finish her course. The games that we had prepared are simple yet we noticed that the children has to adopt to play with their teams.

In a kampung, the fruits of the literacy course is very obvious. The children were able to comprehend instructions and were able to converse with us in English. Am thankful to see the confidence and respect on how this children are treating the visitors.

This girl seems so thankful for the gift she received. The present is very simple, a plastic bag with pencil, notebook, ribena and bread but it seems that this is the first gift she ever received. Some kids received their first book in life.

In one center, a young girl around 6 years of age finds her way to the front and talk to one of the teachers. She was requesting that the T-shirt she received be changed to a bigger size. We found out that she was appealing a bigger size so she could give it to her mother.

I was broken hearted in one training center when 3 kids came and asked for book. We run out of books and the remaining that we had is for their library. I had to explain that they can borrow the books that we donated to their library.

The teachers and parents in the different teaching centers were cheerful to know that we are Filipinos who come to visit them. It seems that we are relatives visiting them in the way they welcome us.

The teachers were invited to celebrate the Hari Raya in the Hotel. I was told that this is their first time to step in a hotel, and to be served with respect. The teachers came with their borrowed dress.

At one point, most of the teachers were crying when someone renders the song “One Moment In Time”, where the song ends with…”i will be free!”

I believed that the time spent in the hotel was one of the best event they ever had in their life.

2010-09-272010-09-27

Goducate Teachers’ meeting in Sabah, Malaysia

Last week, fifty teachers from the seven Goducate Literacy Centers in Sabah gathered for a teachers’ meeting.

The meeting was held on the 2nd floor of a fast-food restaurant. For most of them, it was either the first or second time that they had entered a fast-food restaurant (the previous occasion was also another teachers’ outing). It was a real treat for them and they came in their “Sunday” best!

It was hard for anyone to imagine that these smart-looking teachers were mostly in manual, menial work (eg. scrap-pickers, laundry women, cleaners in the public markets) before Goducate trained them to be teachers.

When they were each asked to stand up and say a few words about themselves, the majority said this “I came to Sabah from the Philippines to escape poverty and was hoping to find work in Sabah as a maid but I never imagined that one day I would be a teacher!” Tears rolled down many eyes that day!

The truth is that they are not only teachers but excellent ones because they are motivated to teach their own children to read and write. The desire to see their children learn and grow motivates them never to be late for work, never to miss a day and never to be slip-shod or lazy.

That day as their trainer and I talked to them they listened intently, taking in every word – ready to bring it back what they learned to their villages.

I have seldom seen a more motivated group of people in my life. It is a pleasure to see how a little encouragement and training from Goducate has enabled this group of 50 teachers to teach literacy and numeracy to over 2000 students.

Goducate is honored to be able to help them help their own children and fellow-villagers!

2010-09-242010-09-23

Visible progress of Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah, Malaysia

The 15 visitors from the blogging communities of ieatishootipost and Nuffnang were given a first-hand view of the progress of Goducate’s 2 year old literacy program in Sabah, Malaysia.

When they visited Goducate’s newest literacy center (barely 2 months old) they saw only 40 students learning their ABC’s in a little “porch” over a swamp. In this community of over a 1000 people, we were told by the village-head who had lived there for 25 years, that this was the first “school” in that community.

When they visited another literacy center that had functioned for 6 months, they witnessed a concert performed by over 150 students. The students of this school performed a little “concert” for us (some standing in the swampy mud) presenting items in halting English.

When they visited a center that had functioned for a year, they witnessed classes in arithmetic and English conducted in neat classrooms. The students in this center were confidently answering their teachers’ questions.

When they visited the first literacy center that Goducate started 2 years ago, they saw a nice school house with 400 students and were entertained by children speaking confidently in English.

Concert at Goducate's first literacy center in Sabah

It was a real pleasure to see how these centers had progressed through the efforts of their teachers – most of whom are mothers whom Goducate has trained.

Goducate believes that mothers make the best teachers.

Goducate believes that every mother wants to see her children learn and grow.

Goducate wants to empower mothers by training them to help their own children.

Goducate helps needy Asians help themselves.