Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 143 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2012-06-052012-06-08

Helping others help themselves begins at Goducate Training Center

Goducate aims to help Asians help themselves because Goducate believes
that its projects must be sustainable ones.

To ensure that this philosophy is entrenched in our culture our main training center, the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo, Philippines (where almost all Goducate’s future workers are trained) is designed to “help itself” and to be self-sustainable.

Besides the usual classrooms, dormitories and “laboratories” of a usual educational institution, GTC is designed with recreational and food and beverage (F&B) facilities to cater to visitors, especially educational tour groups from schools, universities, governmental
bodies and business corporations.

GTC has been designated as a tourism-site by the Municipality of San Miguel. Its cutting-edge agricultural projects and plots showcase modern Asian agriculture. Its agricultural faculty and students lead the edu-groups on interesting and informative tours that teach about modern, scientific, sustainable farming for the future.

After these edu-tours, visitors are invited to enjoy GTC’s recreational facilities and F&B outlets. The revenue raised from the water-park, dipping pool, zip-lines, rock-climbing, horse-riding, fishing and restaurant is used to upgrade and maintain GTC and to provide scholarships for its trainees.

Besides this source of revenue from edu-tours, GTC trainees also work
on their agricultural plots. What they grow not only provides food for themselves, but more importantly teaches them the skills of modern sustainable agriculture—skills that they will share when they go into poor communities to help needy Asians help themselves.

2012-06-01

Goducate Teacher In Laguna Goes For Voice Training

The music program in Laguna Province in The Phillipines has been very successful in getting kids off the street, in helping some get back to or continue school or college on music scholarships, in helping them earn pocket money by playing at functions or by teaching music, and in training in the students in discipline, teamwork, leadership, endurance and many other qualities.

There are about 250 students in the program now. However, musical instruments are expensive. But everybody has vocal cords. So Goducate intends to teach singing.

The first step was to send one of our music teachers, Abegael, for voice training. Abegael teaches the violin and is also a kindergarten teacher at a Goducate Learning Center. She has just completed a summer course at the University of the Philippines. Her course closed with a concert, at which she performed very well. She said, “It’s my first time to perform in a concert hall, and it is very exciting”. Her teacher has invited her back to take part in a concert in January.

maam abe — Abegael performing at the concert

2012-05-292018-09-24

Project Sokh Saan at Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia

Together with 17 other Singapore Management University undergraduates I have just spent 2 weeks at the Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia for our Overseas Community Service Project (OCSP), called Project Sokh Saan, meaning Blessed, So We Bless. Our aim was to equip the children at the home with basic information technology (IT) skills such as creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Our program consisted of reading, computer, music and sports classes. The plan was to spend the mornings conducting reading classes, and in between, to bring the children in turns to the computer room to try out the typing game, TypeFaster, as well as to teach them how to use LibreOffice, a free software very similar to Microsoft Office. However, although the children were able to communicate well with us, most had difficulty understanding what they were reading. Hence we placed more emphasis on reading and comprehension for the majority of the children and limited the computer training to the older children. The idea is that the older children would be able to pass on what they have learnt to the younger children, especially since they would be able to explain in Khmer as well.

The afternoons were spent in various activities. The first four afternoons were a continuation of reading and computer classes, then there were two afternoons dedicated to music theory and practical lessons with the recorder. There were also two sports classes during which we taught the children how to play soccer and games with the frisbee, and one afternoon was taken up by an art class on shading and lighting. The manuals we made for all our activities have been left at the Home for the children to refer to, along with the 11 laptops that we brought over.

On our last day, the children entertained us with their recorder playing, while we put up a short dance item and sang two songs for them.

It was a joy teaching the children, and we hope to return there one day. We thank the staff of the Home for their hospitality and cooperation, and for helping us to maintain discipline.

Guest writer Charmaine, Student from SMU