Category: Livelihood Training

Since January this year, Goducate has partnering a private manpower service in Laguna whose aim is very much in line with ours of helping the needy help themselves. This service runs campaigns in villages on the outskirts of Laguna to help out-of-school youth find jobs. We have thus been channelling to this service those attending our Alternative Learning System (ALS) programme, as well as those in our other community programmes.

All applicants have to attend a seminar and personal-development training session at the Goducate Training Center in Laguna. The Human Resources Department of the manpower service tells the applicants about the company that is doing the hiring, and the benefits and rights of the workers. The Goducate team then discusses the importance of Knowledge (about the company), the Skills needed, and the importance of a Positive Attitude in the workplace. Some will then be invited to go for a job interview.

So far, through this partnership more than 100 people in our various programmes have been able to find jobs paying them around the provincial daily rate of PhP 340 ($7.20). Most of the jobs are in food factories.

Last December some 400 children in the Goducate program in Laguna each received a recorder from a group of Goducate supporters (see blog, Feb 12, 2016). They were then able to get lessons on Saturdays, when our volunteers, mainly Goducate scholars, go to the various villages to offer tuition in a range of subjects.

At the March quarterly Children’s Day, when the children from all the villages gather together at the Goducate Training Center, 120 of the children took part in a recorder competition. The winner was the team from Bayan area.

Guests at the competition included village officials, school officials, and staff from the Police Department. The children’s performance led the village chieftain to invite them to play at the village event on March 26 at which he was addressing his constituents on what he had accomplished for them. School officials also invited the children to play at a graduation ceremony on March 26.

These invitations raised the children’s morale considerably and encouraged them to practise hard for the Annual Music Workshop held on May 17-21. At this workshop, 12 were selected to go on to learn how to play other instruments. Another round of evaluation will take place later this month.

On April 14 Goducate sponsored a team-building activity for the Kadughan Support Group’s needy breast-cancer patients.

Formed by breast-cancer survivors in 2005, “Kadughan” is a support group of Bacolod Kadughan Foundation for Breast Care. The word kadughan originates from the word dughan (chest), and it means “With the same chest, sharing the same sentiments”. With more than hundred members, the group meets once a month to help needy women comply with their diagnostic work-up and surgical and medical treatments.

Goducate’s Mobile Team-Building group went to Negros Island to run a team-building activity specially designed for cancer patients at Bukal Sang Tipan, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. 34 women took part in the event.

The activities were intended to challenge participants’ mental and psychomotor ability, and to promote family spirit, team work, and group bonding.

There were also lectures aimed at motivating the breast-cancer survivors to live a good life, a life of hope and purpose, while the small-group discussions addressed the emotional, psychological, and spiritual concerns of the individuals in the group.

The cancer survivors were refreshed, encouraged and empowered by the activities, and gave us favorable feedback.

*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker.