Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 58 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2015-05-222015-05-27

Resident of Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia describes experience in Philippines

Samuel is a resident at the Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia, who recently spent 8 months in the Philippines. Here he tells us about his life there.

“The reason I was sent to Philippines is to experience the school and a life outside the Home. I was expecting that life there is not really hard, but when I arrived there, everything was different from what I was thinking. Here in the Home we wake up at 5:00 am. In the Philippines it is 3:45 am. The dorm doesn’t have paid cleaners, so before going to school we have group chores to do. At 4:30 am, we have to start to walk to the school about 2 km away to have our breakfast at 6:30 am. In Cambodia the school house is in the same compound as the Home. The food in Philippines is not so good. It is very salty.

“School life was also different. In the Home, we are in school for half a day because we spend the afternoons learning skill-work. In the Philippines, we are at academic school for the whole day. The curriculum is the same as the one we are using in the Home. I met many people in the school and made new friends, and was able to finish my 2nd year of high school. The Filipinos are friendly, hardworking, and diligent and do not complain. Their language is very different from Cambodian.

I was also able to have violin lessons for 6 months. In Cambodia I had learnt a little from people who dropped by to visit the Home. In the Philippines, I reached grade 2 of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Back here in the Home, I am helping our new music teacher.

“My best and most memorable experience in the Philippines was attending a Youth Congress. I enjoyed the group assignments preparing for the congress, and making little gifts for the participants, who came from around the globe. I enjoyed meeting new friends, seeing them perform their different talents, and seeing their zealousness.

The only thing I really missed about Cambodia was the food. What I would like to introduce to Cambodia from the Philippines are the big shopping malls.”

2015-05-152015-05-20

Goducate in Iloilo partners Junior Chamber International to help Aeta Tribe

Junior Chamber International (JCI) is a non-profit organization that provides development opportunities that empower young people aged 18-40 to create positive change. It engages in activities ranging from community development to national and international projects, which demonstrate members’ social responsibility in improving themselves and others through participation, leadership, and action. Such activities and aims are very much in line with Goducate’s.

JCI is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and it has chapters in more than 100 countries. Its Iloilo Ilang-Ilang Chapter is an all-female chapter of JCI Philippines.

To celebrate JCI’s 100th anniversary, JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang launched a project entitled “Langit sa Lanit (Heaven in Lanit)” . to help and empower the Aeta “Ati” tribe in Lanit. Lanit is a village belonging to Iloilo City. The Aetas are the indigenous tribe in Iloilo Province. They are one of the ancestors of the Filipinos. They are now considered a minority. Most of them are uneducated and needy. They usually come from remote areas, especially the mountainous ones. Because of poverty and lack of food, livelihood, and other opportunities in the mountainous areas, they venture into the city. A few families are living in the compound of a pastor in Lanit.

For the Langit sa Lanit project, JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang partnered with the local barangay officials, Barangay Health Workers, APEX Club of Iloilo City, Central Philippine University (CPU) Medical Team, Western Visayas Medical Doctors, Doane Baptist Church Young People, and Goducate.

To prepare and equip its partners, JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang held a lecture on “Understanding Indigenous People” on April 14 at a restaurant in the city.

The project was launched at the compound of the Ati Tribe on April 15 with activities such as a demonstration of how to wash hands property, a talk on family planning, a ear check-up, and training on the commercial production of native chicken. Goducate helped with “Can You Hear Me 2.0?”, the ear-check-up program.

Aetas from other municipalities were also invited to the launch of the program, so in total 46 Aetas participated that day. JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang, together with its partners, will continue to monitor and help the group.

Doctor from CPU demonstrating hand washing technique

Goducate team with certificate of appreciation from JCI

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

2015-05-082015-05-12

Happy Happy English students appreciate friendship with Goducate volunteers

One aim of Goducate’s Happy Happy English program in Singapore is to teach foreign workers functional English. An equally important aim is to offer some friendship to these workers, who have had to leave family and friends to work long hours here and to live in huge dormitories that are generally located in extremely remote parts of Singapore. Thus, apart from classroom work, the Goducate volunteers in the Happy Happy English program also organise outings for the students.

On April 26 Tamil Murasu, Singapore’s Tamil newspaper, carried a feature on Goducate. When the reporters heard that an outing was being organized for students on May Day, they turned up to cover the event, which was a morning at one of the parks for some games and a picnic lunch.

Comments from two of the students were included the report published on May 2. R Silambarasan, who has been working in Singapore for 8 months said, “Singaporeans are kind-hearted to organise this game event. Even though we miss many English classes, they continue to encourage and motivate us. They sacrifice their time for us and we really appreciate them. Even though we have left home, we feel the volunteers are there for us”.

Another comment came from Franklin Bosco, who was being retrenched and sent back to India that night because the company he was working for had been taken over by another. He said, “For the past 3 years, I have worked in Singapore and am leaving today for my homeland. I am very happy and I can never forget this event. This is the best May Day I have spent in Singapore. The volunteers have made us feel strong and brave. Even after I have left Singapore, I will continue to keep in touch with them through Facebook”.