Philippines – Page 48 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2014-09-052014-09-26

Goducate extends Typhoon Haiyan relief work to Leyte

Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. When it struck the Philippines in November last year, Goducate decided to focus its help on North Panay, an area devastated by the typhoon that was closest to the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo. After distributing immediate relief supplies and providing water purification systems, Goducate decided to focus on rehabilitating schools. Those that had lost roofs were given a tarpaulin covering. For buildings that were too unstable to be re-roofed, Goducate provided “tent schools”. In addition, Goducate’s community development workers helped in remedial classes, and organized seminars and workshops for parents on backyard farming, public health and nutrition, and livelihood projects.

By May, Goducate had rehabilitated 55 schools, enabling an estimated 10,000 students to study in “normal” classes (many classrooms were used by more than one class).
It was then that Goducate decided to extend its help to Leyte, part of the area worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan, and north of Tacloban where most of the help from international agencies was concentrated. Here Goducate has decided to concentrate on community work.
After the distribution of relief goods such as medicines and school supplies, the Goducate team started to visit various communities assessing needs and addressing them. Programs introduced have included awareness of the nutritional value of moringa (which most people already have growing in their backyard), preventive health, and agricultural ones such as vermiculture, container gardening, and backyard gardening. In addition, the community health workers help in schools where needed, for example, by holding English corners. The programs have been very popular. For example, a lecture on moringa awareness is usually followed by a request to do more. And in one high school, almost 90% of the 300 students come for the English corners.

Some of our programs scheduled for July had to be postponed because of Typhoon Rammasun (local name Glenda), which wreaked quite some damage to Goducate in Laguna, and Typhoon Matmo (local name Henry), but work has resumed and is being extended in the area.

Parents attending a moringa awareness session — Students attending an English Corner

Preparation of a FAITH garden. (Food Always In The Home is a project introduced by Care Channels, a non-profit organization).

Students attending an English Corner — Parents attending a moringa awareness session

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.

2014-08-22

Goducate Training Center holds barangay captain’s lunch

Goducate Training Center (GTC) which is located in the middle of 4 municipalities in Iloilo— namely, San Miguel, Oton, Alimodian, and Leon. A municipality is divided into barangays (the smallest administrative division), which contains territorial enclaves known as puroks (those in urban areas) and sitios (those in rural areas). In the 3 years of its existence, GTC has built strong relationships in 7 barangays (including 5 sitios withing these 7 barangays) through various projects such as the moringa project, vermicomposting, massage, sports, remedial classes, and hog-raising.

On June 14, GTC held its first Barangay Captains’ Lunch Gathering. Seven barangay captains and their officials attended this event. The purpose of this gathering was to update them on what is happening in their own barangay and to discuss with them how we can best help them attain their vision for their communities.

Goducate Philippines’ Over-all Coordinator spoke about how GTC hopes to provide sufficient community development workers who are creative, ready, able, and sacrificially willing to do their part to bring about life-transforming improvements to the communities and individuals they work with. GTC’s Over-all Coordinator added during his inspirational message that GTC’s asset is its community development workers, who visit and help their barangays every week. GTC desires that through the weekly visits of the community development workers, people in the community will be encouraged and mobilized to help others too through the different Goducate projects. Other speakers were members of the community sharing about how GTC had helped them and how they too had the opportunity to help others.

Our guest writer is Leigh, GTC’s Community Health Coordinator