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Rain cannot stop the children from going to school

It was 2pm in the afternoon as I went to another khampung, it rained so hard that time. To my surprise, the children were busy mopping the floor with their own clothes.

I asked them why? They said “teacher, we need to have class but how can we do it if the carpet is wet we cannot sit down. (Actually, students are just sitting on the floor while having their class to save space and observed discipline.)

I felt proud of my students they are really eager to do things even to turn their clothes into a mop for them to continue their class! They continue what they were doing until the rain stopped and start their class with their brilliant ABC sounds and “rain, rain go away song.”

Next day, to my guilt I brought them a mop for them to use in times of rain. They were very happy with it. In such simple things we can help them. These children really amaze me everyday. Who is able not to love these children? Not even one.

The good thing they are dedicated to do the necessary in order to continue their studies.

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Alternative learning system (ALS)

Many people have asked me “After your students graduate from your Goducate literacy program, where do they go?” This is a very needful question to ask, seeing that we presently have almost 1000 undocumented alien children (ie, illegal immigrants) in our Goducate literacy programs in East Malaysia. As almost all of these kids are originally from the Philippines or descendants of Filipinos, we hope to help them to get an education that will allow them to go back to the Philippines to finish their education and hopefully get gainful employment there or in other countries.

We hope that all our graduates who have already learned to read and write and mastered elementary mathematics will be able to continue their education through a program that has been developed by the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd). This system called “Alternative Learning System” (ALS) was developed because only 65% of Filipinos who enter Grade 1 finish Grade 6 and only 45% finish high school. A major reason for this is poverty and the need for children to help earn income for their families. Many children in farming communities are pulled out of school by their families to help during harvest season, and are then unable to return to school because they have fallen out of the formal schooling system.

ALS allows children to catch up according their own abilities and diligence using modules produced by DepEd. These modules are made available in soft-copy for the user to download. Past experience has shown that matured students can cover much ground at great speed because of their motivation, more matured minds and prior non-formal learning experiences. For example, one of our Goducate students was able to go from illiteracy to Grade 9 in just over a year!

ALS students can take DepEd approved tests that qualify them for a Philippine nationally recognized high school diploma, which will allow them to apply for college entry.

Our dream is to see our first Goducate student from Sabah enter a college in the Philippines in the near future. A kind Filipino businesswoman has promised to sponsor Goducate students who gain entry into college.

The dream of helping every poor child get a decent education is fast becoming a reality!

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A beautiful wedding celebration at the Sabah Goducate learning center

Recently a couple decided to exchange their vows at the Goducate community center in one of the kampungs. After 8 years of a rollercoaster love story, they finally joining their hearts. This is the first wedding event that happened in the community center, after over a year it was built.

The mother of the bride before the wedding asked if they can use the center and we said why not. Most of the people in kampong helped the couples’ families to prepare their food and decorate the place. A Filipino culture of bayanihan, whether they are different in doctrine and beliefs.

It’s Sunday morning and the weather was hot, most people was excited and asking what time are we going to the wedding because it will start around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We went to the wedding with a few mothers. I was surprised that to see our simple Community center was turned into a beautiful garden with two seats at the center. As I saw the couple, the bride was so beautiful that made her as a princess for today, she changed her dress 3 times. Then after we ate, we took some pictures from the couple and the family.

Early that evening, we went home thankful for this event because it helps bind the relationship between the people of different cultures and traditions within that kampong. But then the wedding party was not yet over until midnight.