Goducate … Go And Educate!

In the Philippines, Sept 5 to Oct 5 was designated National Teachers’ Month for 2016. The theme for this month was “Guro Kabalikat sa Pagbabago”, meaning that teachers ought to be shown appreciation.

On Oct 3 & 5 Goducate helped to show appreciation to the teachers in two elementary schools, one in Puypuy, and one in Masaya. Ever since Goducate Laguna was set up, these schools have looked to Goducate as their partner whenever they had a community project.

For the Teachers’ Day celebration at these schools, Bernard Benedicto, a Goducate community worker, together with and some Goducate volunteers, helped the students to give the teachers a surprise. The Goducate team encouraged the students to write personal thank-you letters to their teachers, and also taught them a song to sing for the teachers. In addition, Goducate gave cakes and flowers to each teacher to show our gratitude for shaping the lives and minds of the students.

These actions led the principal of Masaya to say that in her 30 years of teaching she has not come across an organization like Goducate, which is sincere in its love for the community and always ready to offer a helping hand to the people.

Four teens from the Goducate literacy and numeracy program in East Malaysia have passed the Philippines Department of Education Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency Test at secondary level, and three of them are now freshmen in universities in the Philippines.

The program in East Malaysia caters for the undocumented Filipinos there, who are not entitled to state education. Goducate trains the women in these areas who have had some schooling in the Philippines before settling down in East Malaysia to teach literacy and numeracy to the children.

In 2014, four children returned to the Philippines to continue their studies through the ALS program. This program is for those people who have not finished their schooling. Those who pass at the high-school (secondary level) can qualify for tertiary education.

They stayed at the Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Iloilo, where they also underwent training in community development work. In July 2015, they completed technical skills training, some in housekeeping, and some in automotive work. This skills training was organized by GTC in collaboration with the Philippines Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The teens took the ALS examination in April 2016, and the results were announced in June. Three of them are now freshmen in universities. Maureen Joy Daguyen is a student at Bukidnon Fundamental Baptist Seminary, Bukidnon, Mindanao. Crichelle Pelegrin is taking up Computer Science in Capiz State University. And Ronie Lape is studying Computer Science in Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College in Lemery, Iloilo. The fourth teen, Rodante Peligrin, who has a TESDA National Certificate in automotive work, is now working in an automotive shop in Iloilo City.

In keeping with Goducate philosophy of helping Asians help themselves, and encouraging those who can to help others, all four of these youths do community work in their free time.

*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker