Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 63 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2015-02-062015-02-09

Goducate targets 400 new barangays

Goducate has started 2015 with an ambitious project. It aims to extend its helping hand to 400 new barangays (villages, districts, or wards) in Panay (an island in the Western Visayas group and on which the Goducate Training Center is situated) and Leyte (an Eastern Visayas island that was particularly badly hit by Supertyphoon Haiyan in 2013 and where Goducate did some relief work). Such an aim might seem impossible, but only by dreaming big for the less privileged Filipinos are we able to improve their present status. This project is called CDWs [community development workers] for the Barangays.

CDWs for the Barangays (CFB) is a six-month long project that kicked off on Feb 1. Ten groups of Goducate CDWs have been deployed to the island of Leyte and to the following towns on Panay: San Miguel, Oton, Alimodian, Tigbauan, Leon, Concepcion, Car-Bal-Es (Carles, Balasan and Estancia), Lemery, and Capiz. The target barangays will receive free health check-ups and health education. This health-education drive will cover the following:

I. For adults:
a) Blood-pressure checks and a hypertension-information drive
b) Random blood-sugar checks and a diabetes-information drive
c) A moringa-awareness and moringa-powder-making seminar

II. For Children
a)Good hygiene practices such as toothbrushing and handwashing
b) Checks on nutritional status, using World Health Organization Child Growth Standards for children aged 6 and under, and Body Mass Index for older children

This big project requires much in the way of materials such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, for which we will be glad to have sponsors.

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

2015-01-302015-02-02

The children at the Goducate Children’s Home Cambodia

The Goducate Children’s Home in Prey Nob, Cambodia, near the seaport of Sihanoukville, currently houses 33 children. Several others have already turned 18 and have left the Home to work. Two older boys, Samuel and Joshua, are completing their studies in Cebu City, Philippines.

The Home provides a safe, loving environment for Cambodian children who had lost one or both parents, or who simply became unwanted by their families when their parents split up and remarried. Each child has a sponsor to meet their physical needs i.e the cost of their education, food and medical care.

Recently, one of the teenage boys, on an adventurous exploration of the far corners of the Home, suddenly decided to catch a squirrel he had spotted on a big tree. 14-year-old Andrew, despite the admonishments of his friends, shined up the tree. Unfortunately, his climbing skills was unable to match the squirrel’s, and he took a tumble and broke several bones. Recovery was quick, and the Home was thankful to his sponsor for graciously bearing the cost of hospitalisation.

Andrew showing us the tree he fell from.

2015-01-162015-01-17

Goducate helps food blogger spread happiness to migrant workers through food

Singaporean general practitioner Dr Leslie Tay, well known for his ieatishootipost blog, had been wanting to express his gratitude to the thousands of migrant workers who help build up the country, and naturally he did it through food. He organised a meal for 500 workers living in one of the 50 or so dormitories in Singapore.

Partnering him in his Happy Go Round party held on Jan 10 was the Singapore Kindness Movement. The dormitory chosen, which houses about 8000 workers, was one of those at which Goducate conducts its Happy Happy English program, so Goducate helped out with the entertainment, and 50 of the places were given to students in the program. The food was supplied by ezb (BBQ made easy). Many other organizations (M1, Gardenia, Pearlie White, Phoon Huat, Recruit Plus) contributed items needed for the meal as well as for the goody bags and prizes for the games and lucky draws. The management of the dormitory did a marvellous job in setting up the facilities and in ensuring the whole event went smoothly.

The evening ended with registration for the next term of Happy Happy English at this dormitory, which starts on Jan 24.