Goducate … Go And Educate!

Recently a team of bloggers from the ieatishootipost blogging community led by its founder, Dr Leslie Tay, visited Goducate’s literacy centers in Sabah where over 2000 children are learning to read and write. One of the bloggers who calls himself “Holydrummer” wrote an interesting blog about this trip.

For the full report please read www.ieatishootipost.sg

I quote some snippets from his blog that he dedicated to the brave volunteers, teachers and children in Sabah.

The boat ride was a short by significant journey, during which I couldn’t help but brood over a glaring juxtaposition that stuck our like a sore thumb. That is, the sheer proximity of this village (and all the subsequent ones) to normal civilization. Just a few miles away lies the apparent widespread availability of basic forms of accommodation and here they are in the slums subject to insanitary living conditions?

We briefly took shelter in a hut where the children are cramped into three classrooms. I would have been turned off! But here they are, in the open, subject to the storms of life, acquiring basic education in their quest to attain knowledge and gain wisdom. They would probably risk a landslide to continue studying. Guilt filled me at that instant and I have to admit that I have taken my education for granted. At that moment in time, I wished our students in Singapore were here to see this for themselves to truly understand…

Our of the four (villages) we visited, this village left the deepest and most indelible impression. It would be an understatement to say that the living conditions are absolutely not fit for human beings at all….

The gravity of their situation had me questioning repeatedly the logic of it all…. At the end point, I realized we can only take it one step at a time. We chose to focus on fostering education through the auspices of Goducate.

“I conclude with a quote from Goducate’s visionary founder, Dr Paul Choo: ‘We are the voice of the poor.’

Their voices need to be heard. Go and tell the world.”

with permission from ieatishootipost

Delighted to step for the first time on the thriving city in Sabah, known as the gateway for ecotourism destinations in Sabah. Together with the team, we are delighted to experience the bounty seafood in one of the famous restaurant.

As we are traveling to the first Goducate teaching center, I noticed the great economic potential of the city. Housing and malls constructions are on the rise. The highways are constructed accordingly, wide, clean and with few cars.

At the first teaching center, we were thrilled to see the kids are all lined and are ready for the games. It was difficult at first to give directions for we don’t speak their language but with simple English and demonstrations the children were able to pick up the instructions and played the games with happiness.

This girl with all delight and might jumps to finish her course. The games that we had prepared are simple yet we noticed that the children has to adopt to play with their teams.

In a kampung, the fruits of the literacy course is very obvious. The children were able to comprehend instructions and were able to converse with us in English. Am thankful to see the confidence and respect on how this children are treating the visitors.

This girl seems so thankful for the gift she received. The present is very simple, a plastic bag with pencil, notebook, ribena and bread but it seems that this is the first gift she ever received. Some kids received their first book in life.

In one center, a young girl around 6 years of age finds her way to the front and talk to one of the teachers. She was requesting that the T-shirt she received be changed to a bigger size. We found out that she was appealing a bigger size so she could give it to her mother.

I was broken hearted in one training center when 3 kids came and asked for book. We run out of books and the remaining that we had is for their library. I had to explain that they can borrow the books that we donated to their library.

The teachers and parents in the different teaching centers were cheerful to know that we are Filipinos who come to visit them. It seems that we are relatives visiting them in the way they welcome us.

The teachers were invited to celebrate the Hari Raya in the Hotel. I was told that this is their first time to step in a hotel, and to be served with respect. The teachers came with their borrowed dress.

At one point, most of the teachers were crying when someone renders the song “One Moment In Time”, where the song ends with…”i will be free!”

I believed that the time spent in the hotel was one of the best event they ever had in their life.