Goducate Training Center in Iloilo, Philippines, has been training its pioneer batch of 20 over trainees since April.
The training includes: basic agriculture, sloping agricultural land techniques, teaching adult literacy, teaching English to speakers of other languages, counseling, driving, self-defence, cooking.
The lecturers come from different countries, backgrounds and disciplines. Cross-cultural training is essential because the workers may have to work abroad. If so, they need to quickly understand the people they work with, and more importantly, to be readily accepted by the new community.
The objective is to produce Goducate workers who can work among the needy to help them help themselves, not just at home but also anywhere where needed.
Okkie from South Africa teaching cross-cultural studiesThomos from Indonesia teaching about Indonesian demographics and culture
A few weeks ago, Thomos (our new Indonesian Coordinator) and I visited The Philippines. For Thomos it was part of his orientation program to familiarize him with Goducate projects in The Philippines. For me it was a chance to catch up with our new Filipino workers and new projects.
We visited Talahiban village, where we are constructing a new Goducate learning center. The walls of the training room are already being built (see blogs July 15 and July 29 for earlier stages).
The new training room
Our worker, Sandy and his wife Lisa have been visiting the village for several months already, and many of the children of this village are enrolled in our music program. At present these children practise their instruments in the yard of a Goducate supporter in the village. However, the sound (not music!) from many enthusiastic youngsters is deafening and disturbing to the neighbors.
The new center, which is overlooking a field of trees, is nicely tucked away from the main village. It is also situated at the border of Talahiban village and the neighboring village, thereby making it accessible to people from the two villages.
Sandy has green fingers and has been successful with his crops. The little land around the new center will be a good place for him to set up a model sustainable backyard farm to encourage the neighbors to grow vegetables to supplement their diet.
Sandy’s teenage daughter, Melissa, is a good violinist and music teacher. And more importantly, she is a good role-model for the other children.
We expect this talented family to help the people of Talahiban to help themselves!
What a joy it was to see the children acting and singing on probably the most important day of their school calendar: Graduation Day, also known as the Closing Program.
These children from the Goducate Children’s Home Cambodia had practiced very hard, memorised many lines and many songs in English. Some of the main actors had pages of lines to learn. We learnt that rehearsals continued till the very last moment and late into the night. The ensamble cast performed admirably on Graduation Day, performing their hearts out.
Who was probably the most memorable performer? The one who played Blooper the dog! This young actor didn’t have any lines to learn at all, but he certainly ‘barked’ at all the right times! The guests didn’t even know his identity till after the show! What an actor!
Blooper the dogGraduation Day 2011
And so… who is Blooper? Here he is, his name is Job! Described as a comedian by the houseparents at the Goducate Children’s Home, he stole the show with his outstanding acting!
