Philippines – Page 67 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

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Goducate returns on mercy mission to Mindanao, Philippines

In early December last year, the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines was hit by Typhoon Bopha (known locally as Typhoon Pablo). This category 5 typhoon was the worst disaster in the world in 2012 by way of lost human lives. However, by the end of last month the UN had received only $38.76 million of the $111.8 million that it had appealed for. The challenge at hand, from the UN’s perspective, is to help build comfortable shelters and provide victims of the disaster with such basic needs as staples, clothing, and health care.

In late December Goducate had visited the affected area to assess what help it could offer, especially in the longer term. Last month Goducate returned with a team of medical personnel and agricultural experts, to attend to the medical needs of and to give advice to the predominantly farming households. Dubbed operation “Lift a Burden”, the team of 30 was helped by 70 on-site volunteers who provided the pre-identified 2,500 victims in the towns of Monkayo, New Bataan, and Nabunturan with relief aid—medicines, rice, groceries, clothes, shoes, and assorted vegetable seeds.

Next, the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo, in partnership with local organizations, hopes to implement a cohesive, holistic, and sustainable program in New Bataan, Compostela Valley, the area worst hit by the disaster. Community development workers trained at the Goducate Training Center will be deployed in Compostela Valley in pro-active and participative initiatives.

Tent shelters outside the gymnasium also occupied by displaced families

Assorted medicines provided by Goducate to typhoon victims

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Harvest time at Goducate community farm in Tagumpay

In August last year the torrential rains and thunderstorms, known informally as Typhoon Habagat, displaced the communities around Laguna Bay. The Goducate team in Laguna has been helping to rehabilitate some of the families in Tagumpay through training in livelihood skills. Some of the men learnt agricultural skills at the Goducate Model Farm, while the women learnt skills such as soap and detergent making, decorative handicraft, and sewing.

We were fortunate that a former mayor of Bay generously offered us, for free, 2000 sq m of his land in the district of Tagumpay, to be used as a community farm. Five men who were trained at the Goducate Model Farm helped develop this community farm.

The early part of this year was spent planting. By March the workers were starting to harvest lady’s fingers and some string beans. The bulk of the string beans (79 kg) were harvested in the first 2 weeks of April. have had a good harvest of string beans. Between April 1 and 12, 79 kg of beans were harvested, and what was not used for personal consumption was sold on the market. Pechay will be harvested soon. Leeks and mustard will be planted soon.

By now the people displaced by the severe Habagat floods have left the evacuation centers and are in their own homes, some of which had to be completely rebuilt. The longer-term plan is to use this farm for training others in the community in backyard farming.

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Goducate’s staff in China undergo training at Goducate Training Center in Philippines

Recently, four members of Goducate’s staff in China were sent to Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Philippines to be trained for 6 weeks. At Goducate, we believe that we should equip our workers with the best training so that they will be prepared for and be effective in their respective fields. We felt that the best way for the Chinese members of staff to do this was to be submerged in GTC culture.

Over the 6 weeks, the Chinese team worked on improving their English. Some of them spoke little English at the start, but by the end of their stay they were confident speaking English. The Chinese team also shared their skills with the other trainees in GTC. They taught Mandarin to the other trainees at night and even held a dumpling- making session, teaching the trainees more about Chinese culture and cuisine. The Chinese team attended a few classes and discussions on how to organise activities and camps for university students. More importantly, they had the opportunity to practise what they had learned by conducting games and activities for the children in the community and during the English camp that was held in GTC.

During their stay in GTC, the Chinese team were able to spend time with the local people, to learn how to be cross-cultural and to interact with people from different cultures. We believe that there is a need to be global, and this was beneficial to them because China is growing so fast and there will be many foreign students going to China to study and many students going out of China into different countries. The team went into university campuses and were able to spend time with the students, sharing about their culture and learning about another culture. They also had the chance to spend time with families in the community, visiting homes surrounding GTC, learning the needs of the people there, and sharing part of their lives with the locals.

The trip has been very beneficial to the Chinese team. They have returned to China and have already started planning activities and camps, excited to apply what they have learned. We are looking forward to sending more of our workers from China to be trained in GTC in the near future.

Talking about dumplings in Chinese culture