Posted on

Kids in Sumatran plantations need schooling

Last week I visited a friend’s palm oil plantation 2 hours from the city of Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia.

My friend is an Indonesian who has started about 10 schools in different parts of Indonesia. Each of the schools she has started is a proper school offering standard education to poor Indonesian children. However, she is concerned about the many millions of Indonesian children who live in farms and plantations and who are unable to attend school because the nearest school is just too far away. The population density in these rural settings is too low to justify the establishment of proper schools.

She is familiar with Goducate literacy centers and wanted me to see first-hand the situation in rural Indonesia. I took a 2-hour car ride on a winding, pot-holed road from the modern city of Pekanbaru. Then I had to transfer to a motorbike for the 2 kilometer ride to the plantation. It was definitely more exciting than a roller-coaster ride in Disney World! I reached the plantation “headquarters” after sunset. Most of the kids were at the “headquarters” because of the TV set there. At 11pm, the generator set was switched off, and then I went to bed.

The next morning I surveyed the community of about 20 workers and their families who were housed in simple barracks. There were about 20 school-aged children in the community. The nearest school was an hour’s walk away. It was a private school, whose fees many could not afford.

This challenging situation is common to many parts of Asia. How can Goducate help these poor people to educate their kids? I don’t know, but I know that we cannot ignore this problem.

Plantation "Headquarters"
Plantation vehicle and barracks
How do we help them?
Posted on

Lifepegs Members Sell The Goods They Bought In Shenyang

Early this month 45 Lifepegs members from Changchun went to Shenyang on a buying trip, the aim being to choose goods they would be able to sell on their return to Changchun. These budding entrepreneurs were divided into teams. Each team member contributed 50 RMB towards the capital the team would have to spend on the goods they bought.

Part 2 of this training on small-business knowledge and techniques took place a couple of weeks later at the Lifepegs clubhouse. Each team had a table on which to display their wares, and two teams even set up shop in the open (for as long as the rain held off) to attract more buyers. There were about 2 hours for the sale, during which the building was packed out with interested shoppers. For foreigners, it was a chance to practise their bargaining skills. With their receipts, purchasers were allowed to pop balloons with darts, and those who successfully popped a balloon were given a delicious baked treat. The whole place was full of noise and excitement.

The winning team (the team that made the largest profit) was declared the winner. Profits were shared by team members.

Apart from the time reminiscing about the trip and putting business skills into practice, members were able to enjoy some special performances such as a few great solos, a guitar performance and a group singing in Cantonese.

Receiving instructions about the sale
Goods for sale
A sale concluded
Guest writer Leah, Volunteer from China
Posted on

Deep impressions, lasting memories

On my visit to the Cambodia Goducate Children’s Home, each child left me a special memory that will continue to live in my mind. Three children that especially gave me deep impressions are Matthew and the twins, John and Jacob.

Matthew is such a little prankster. He loved teasing me about my smile every time someone was taking a picture of me. I do not show my teeth when I smile, and he thinks that that is not smiling. Each time a photo of me was taken, I would hear Matthew’s laugh and voice coming from behind the photographer, saying, “Smile, ma’am! Smile!” I would then playfully retort back, “Am I not smiling?” For some reasons, simple exchanges like these are etched deep inside my mind, and I can still see that cheeky smile of his right now.

However, Matthew is not merely a little joker. His other side was made clear to me when I saw how he looked wistfully at my DSLR camera. Knowing he probably wanted to try taking some photos, I slipped the neck strap over his head and taught him the right way to hold the camera. He was ecstatic and immediately started snapping away. I do not lie when I say some of the photos Matthew took were great; he’s a natural! Another time, when my sister was showing a girl how to write some Chinese characters, I saw Matthew listening intently by the side. Later, I showed him how to write the characters for his name, and he practiced diligently at perfecting the strokes. Matthew certainly is a boy full of potential and a desire to learn and progress.

The twins, John and Jacob, are one face that I will never forget. The first child that I truly got to talk to was John, and I was pleasantly surprised at his English-speaking ability. We talked about Singapore, and I showed him pictures on my camera. Soon, a group of children were gathered around me whereas before that they were shy and afraid. John opened up the way and cleared the awkward air between the other children and me.

The twins

I soon realised that there was another face in the crowd that was exactly the same as John’s. That was when I found out that John had a younger twin brother, Jacob. Jacob, even though a little quieter than his older brother, was still a huge blessing, especially when translating for the other children. These two brothers were a big encouragement to me. Their ever-present smile and laughter and desire to serve were things that made my heart happy, just seeing them live. Jacob even wrote my sister and I notes when we left. Mine, of course, had a colourful rainbow on it; and when I read what he had written, it brought tears to my eyes. I love you too, kid.

This trip to the Home opened up my perspective of the world, of children, and just of life itself. It proved to me that family is not confined to blood relation; it showed me what real servanthood meant, and it displayed to me what true joy is.

Guest writer Rainbow, Volunteer from Singapore