Category: Livelihood Training

Despite the rain and the threat of a typhoon (Typhoon Washi, known locally as Typhoon Send, which later claimed more than 500 lives in southern Philippines), over 200 people attended Goducate Orchestra’s “Concert for a Cause”, which was held in a public park in front of the municipal hall in Bay, Laguna. The aim of the concert was to raise support for the orchestra’s high-school or college students in 2012. The amount raised through sponsorships was PHP 33,700 (more than the target of PHP30,000), which is sufficient to support 4 college students in a year.

In his welcoming address the Municipal Mayor commended the orchestra and the impact it has made on the lives of young people, and he encouraged parents to send their children to our learning center.

The audience was also given a brief history of the formation of the orchestra.

Among the performances was an item by our recorder players, who came from 12 villages.

The event was filmed by Channel News Asia for part 2 of their series Once Upon A Village.

About a year ago Channel News Asia featured Goducate’s music students for the program Once Upon a Village, which was aired earlier this year. For that program, Channel News Asia brought along Singaporean violinist Min Lee and director of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music orchestra Wang Ya Hui to assess the students, and to suggest what could be done to help improve the music project. The suggestion was to send 5 of the violinists to Singapore for a short spell of intensive training to prepare them for some music exams. The idea was that there would be a follow-up program to see how the project would have improved over the year.

In November, the five violinists spent 10 days in Singapore training at the Wolfgang Music Studio, during which time Channel News Asia filmed them for the follow-up program. Since Channel News Asia’s first visit, they violinists have also been receiving regular lessons from Elaine Mallari of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

This week, Channel News Asia was back in Laguna with Wang Ya Hui to assess the musicians’ progress. During this visit Wang Ya Hui helped them and conductor Bernard prepare for a concert to raise funds to help our students continue their studies in college or high school. There is more to conducting and playing instruments in preparation for a concert. One of the things the students learnt this time was how to walk on stage!

The follow-up program is expected to be aired in Jan or Feb 2012.

The livelihood program (SELP, Self Empowerment and Leadership Program) in Laguna recently held a session to upgrade soap-making skills, to teach perfume-making, and to motivate the members. It was attended by around 30 people, consisting of 9 leaders, 8 members, and the rest who were newcomers.

SELP covers 6 villages. Establishing the program has helped attract members by indicating to them that there will be continuing training.

The skills upgrading in soap-making was required because some of the members had found that the detergent they were producing was not producing much froth. We have also been able to find a new source of raw materials that enables the women to pool together to buy more cheaply in bulk.

Members sell their soap products by going house to house. On average, a woman sells about 10 kg soap powder and 5 litres of dishwashing liquid a week.

The most eagerly awaited item of the day’s session was the perfume-making. The expected market for the products would be high-school and college students.