Livelihood Training – Page 16 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2014-09-262014-09-29

Goducate Model Farm recovers from Typhoon Ramassun (Glenda)

Eight months after Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda) devastated large parts of the Philippines in Nov 2013, Typhoon Rammasun (known locally as Typhoon Glenda) came along. Although its impact was not as great as that of Typhoon Haiyan, Typhoon Rammasun (Rammasun is a Thai word for thunder god) has so far been the strongest to hit Philippines in 2014. Goducate Laguna was badly hit (see blog of July 18, 2014).

Undeterred, our people swung into action immediately to repair the damage. Among the structures damaged were the vermiculture house and the hydroponics house at the Goducate model farm. Two months on, these structures have been restored.

The worms were not destroyed, and in the new vermiculture house, 50 sacks of vermicompost are now being produced per month.

When the hydroponics house was damaged, we lost the 3600 seedlings it contained, some ready to harvest. However, now there are already some ready to harvest in the restored hydroponic house.

As though to signal a new life and a new beginning for every challenge, one of our cows delivered her second kid a few weeks after the typhoon.

Hydroponics house damaged (L) and restored (R)

2014-09-122014-09-26

Goducate trainees in China finish their training at Goducate Training Center in Iloilo

One of Goducate’s projects in China is to train people to be community development workers. Last month, 9 of these trainees spent the last 2 weeks of their training at the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Iloilo, Philippines. The idea was to expose them to a foreign country and a foreign culture, and to give them an idea of what it is like to have to adapt to a different environment.

Since if Chinese community workers are sent abroad to serve, it is likely that one of their main tasks will be to teach Chinese as a second language, at GTC, the China team taught the other trainees some Chinese words and songs. They also attended a class teaching how to run an English corner, the principles of which can be applied to the teaching of any language.

Much of the practical training at GTC is done in the neighboring communities. There the China team saw how GTC trainees visit local families to help them help themselves. For example, they showed the families how to raise farm animals, or to increase outputs from their farms.

The China team also visited an area hard hit by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) late last year, and where the Goducate Tent School project has been restoring classrooms in schools badly hit by the typhoon. This restoration work is complemented by various educational activities in the community. The China team visited the schools to teach the children Chinese songs and various kinds of paper crafts. It was good to see how the children were a little reserved at first, but by the time the China team was leaving the kids were joyful and smiling and laughing away.

Although the China team’s introduction to the outside world was very gentle, in that the GTC is set in beautiful surroundings and the team was surrounded by kind-hearted people and pampered by good food and wonderful service, the servant’s hearts they saw in the others became a lesson in themselves.

Teaching Chinese in classroom undamaged by Typhoon Haiyan

*Our guest writer is Brenda, a China team trainer and program coordinator

2014-08-292014-09-11

Goducate Laguna holds its 1st Music Camp

In April this year, while on a trip to Medellin in the Philippines, I met Ric Patricio, Goducate’s agricultural consultant, who filled me in on what Goducate is doing. Since I was once the Director of Music of the Republic of Singapore Navy Band and has been guest-conductor for several musical groups, I was particularly interested in Goducate’s music program in Laguna. So in June, accompanied by Ric, I went to Laguna to see the work there. The result was a music camp planned for the short holiday break in August.

The camp was held on Aug 21-22, with me as conductor/trainer/mentor for the 43 campers.
The music camp program started with a session with the senior orchestra, made up of a weird instrument combination of violins, a viola, a cello, flutes, a clarinet and a trombone, playing music scored only for strings. The musicians worked on the pieces “Shepherd’s Hey”, “Over The Rainbow” & “Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas” over a total of 4 sessions. I also had a couple of sessions with the junior orchestra, playing only 1st violins. In addition, I held a 2-session song-writing course for 7 musicians interested in learning about melody-writing, as well as a conducting class for 5.

The young musicians were enthusiastic and learned many new things, among which were singing the rhythm of difficult rhythmic patterns before playing them, and a new perspective about Crescendo & Decrescendo. They confronted and worked on the difficult parts instead of the easy passages. .

The camp ended with both the senior and junior orchestras giving a simple concert attended by their parents and some guests. Every camper also received some music -related gift.

At the post-camp evaluation it was decided that future music camps would be 3-day camps, and confined only to the senior orchestra. I also advised that the group be confined to just a string orchestra for the moment, since it would quite impossible to get the music scores for their present weird combination of instruments.

Peter rehearsing with the senior orchestra

Junior orchestra performing at the concert.

Our guest writer is Peter Yan, who has now been appointed music director/mentor for the Laguna music program.