Philippines – Page 117 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2010-09-012010-08-23

The trap of poverty

For urbanites in First World countries, it is perhaps correct to say that most will find it difficult to empathize with those who experience real poverty. Not that I can empathize any better or had become wiser after my short visit to a rural community in Laguna, Philippines, I think poverty is not just simply earning less than US$ 1 a day, or not having enough to eat as conventional wisdom would have us to believe. To me, poverty entraps families and the future generations of those who were caught by it.

This is a snapshot of a family caught in poverty. Typically, the parents have never been schooled. I was told that it is common for poor couples to have about 5 children (and I heard there was even a couple who had 16 children!). For the children who come from poor households, life can be tough. Because their parents do not have the means, they do not attend school. For them, living from hand-to-mouth becomes real day-to-day. Daily choices in life are dictated by survivability. By the age of seven, most children would have to work to contribute to their household. And for them, work could mean that they would have to go into the forest to look for fruits such as coconuts and bananas, which would be collected as food, or sold to a middleman. Remember, these children do not have the chance to find gainful employment in the city because they are uneducated and unskilled. Most of them will marry as early as fourteen years old, possibly to ease the pressure on their parents to provide for their needs. For these newly-weds, they would have to live from hand-to-mouth and here, the cycle starts again when they have children – that is 5 children on average.

A child who collected fruits in the forest

So, this is how poverty looks like from a cyclical perspective. When it afflicts a community, it does look like a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

2010-08-302010-08-31

From Forest Land to Education Camp

The team behind Goducate Training Centre

Goducate is undertaking to build a Training Centre in Iloilo… the 5th largest city in Philippines. The choice of the location, a city I have not heard of until recently, is well-thought out – the availability of good human resources, experts in various fields. No wonder, after Manila, Iloilo has the most number of Universities in the Philippines.

Much have been written in other blogs about the work-in-progress of the Goducate Training Centre. The once forest-like land, with unwieldy vegetation and poor irrigation & drainage, now, three months old, transforming into an organized plantation with its own water supply system. Subsequent phases will focus on programs to create and attract wholesome family entertainment. All with the view that this Training Centre will nurture agriculturalists with natural crop-enhancing techniques, and, be self-supporting for the long run.

Together with a team of four, we were privileged to visit the site a couple of weeks ago and be led by the architect of the project, Victor. He is a Researcher on coconut trees, including my personal favorite, the fleshy Macapuno. He took us up and down the hilly area, the size of 7 football fields. The slopping agriculture land is being prepared for various fruit-bearing trees. The nursery, the hybrid rice plantation, the chicken farm and the compost for producing organic fertilizers. The multi-purpose hall. All these require different knowledge and skill sets. We were introduced to several of these talents, each expert in his/her own rights, such as Forestry, Soil (scientist), Vermi-composting, Camp Development etc.

I would like to record my impressions about the team members who are involved in the project and the prevailing team spirit.

First, Ownership. Apparently, no one needs to be told what to do. Each of them take ownership not just of their own turf, but also, of the overall outcome for the project. And may I add, with a sense of honor.

Next, Passion. Each step they take, you could almost see a spring in it. They are passionate in what they do and it shows. They speak with conviction as they elaborate on how they prepare the land or the seedlings and what the anticipated outcome will be. Always with the view that what is sowed, will reap returns. Including financial returns.

Thirdly, Knowledge. They know what they are doing. They have deep and extensive knowledge base, on individual basis and combined. After an encounter with them, you can easily place your confidence in their expertise.

Lastly, Team spirit. Though each person is individually competent, they all work as a team.
They have a common mission. One could sense the healthy and happy spirit. A cohesive and cooperative work environment. All excited to see the same dream come true.

You know, the greatest impact on me is to realize that they are all volunteers. Selflessly contributing towards preparing a facility for the needy to acquire livelihood skills so that they can eventually help themselves.

* Chen Hui Liang has held senior management positions in MNCs and is currently in business growth consulting.

2010-08-272010-08-23

The Great Enthusiasm at Goducate Training Center

This is the first time that I set foot on the Goducate Training Center since I read about it on the Goducate website. I must admit that I have never seen anything like this before, in terms of the high level of enthusiasm and buzz in a rural community project. All the people (volunteers and workers alike) that I met on-site gave me a sense that they wanted to do their best to finish the project well. With a dose of gusto and camaraderie, this area was transformed from a patch of forest into the shape it is today – all in a space of 2 months – albeit there is more to go to complete the project. While the pace of development is truly impressive, I would say that the team spirit, enthusiasm and positive outlook are even more commendable.

Many volunteers at the site are trained professionals in areas such as civil and electrical engineering, agriculture and forestry. In anticipation of the visit by the Goducate directors from Singapore, each volunteer was encouraged to put up their own proposal for new activities or projects at the existing site. The proposals were presented at a meeting room in the city on an evening. Interesting ideas were aplenty. For example, the proposals included the establishment of a training restaurant which could be sustained by regular patrons from the Iloilo locality, the setting up of a freshwater fish farm for demonstration of livelihood and recreational fishing, and a setup to train proper agricultural techniques for better harvest. While these ideas still need more time to cook, it is clear that they will have to be self-supporting – to align to Goducate’s overall objective to help needy Asians to help themselves.

Speaking of self-supporting, there are over a hundred daily rated laborers on-site. For this phase of the construction project, some of the laborers were deployed to work on the multi-purpose hall, some to work on the impounding pond and some to plant hybrid rice. I was told that these skilled laborers were hired from the locale surrounding the Training Center, thereupon providing jobs to the locals. Having gainful employment allows one to help oneself.

To the team in Philippines, keep what truly is good, that is your team spirit, enthusiasm and positive outlook!