Goducate now has 17 learning centers in north east Sabah, manned by 34 teachers and 11 assistant teachers. Last month we were invited to two areas some distance away to train the people there to conduct our literacy programs. At the village 200 km away, we went to follow up on training that we did last year. At the village 400 km was new to us. I brought with me two of our teachers and an assistant teacher.
Many of our villages are built on swampy land or over the water, so we are very used to shaky “jambatans” (bridges). But nothing prepared us for the shakiness and flimsiness of the jambatans we had to cross at the village 400 km away. These jambatans consisted of nothing more than pairs of thin planks held together by a few rusty nails. Worse, there were no bars, or poles, or ropes to hang on to for support. Some of us took off our footwear; another felt that the only way to maintain balance was to go on all fours. But all knew how important it was to get across the bridge, for waiting at the other end were people hungry for our help.
15 people attended our training session that day. From among them we selected one supervisor, two teachers, and two assistant teachers. We hope they will be able to use our program efficiently. For ourselves we hope to cross this bridge again, in follow-up training.