Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 83 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2014-02-182014-02-19

Myanmar village gets a “community center”

The mothers and children in a village just east of Yangon now have a “community center” at which to gather and socialise. Goducate has supported educational activities at this village since February 2013. Like almost all other small villages that grew from a cluster of huts, there was no central gathering place. Goducate workers had to use any space that was convenient for its activities.

Fortunately, one of the families allowed Goducate the use of their front yard to teach English to children of the village through fun, song, and games. In January 2014, Goducate put up a tent structure with permission of the family. The tent, costing Ks30,000 ($30), provides shade from the sun and light rain. When not used for Goducate’s educational classes, it is a focal point for community gatherings.

The people now have a place at which to gather to know each other better, to talk, and to have group activities. All in all it is a big plus for the village.

2014-02-142014-02-19

Goducate and Water Missions International conduct WASH trainings in Philippines

After the installation of 17 Living Water Treatment Systems (LWTS) at different locations in Panay and Negros islands for Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) survivors, the next step undertaken by Goducate and Water Missions International (WMI) was to teach the stakeholders on safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as well as to make them aware about the availability of safe water for everyone in the community.

Fifteen trainings have been conducted so far for municipal officials, local government unit (LGU) heads, school principals, students, barangay (village) captains, and officers of civil society organizations. A resource speaker from WMI headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, talked on how water gets contaminated, how microbes get into the stomach, how water can be purified and treated using LWTS, how to store treated water in containers, how to wash hands properly, and how healthy hygiene and sanitation behaviors can protect everyone from diarrheal illness.

At every training session, the Goducate-WMI liaison officer also explained the memorandum of understanding between Goducate and the LGU recipient of LWTS. He also spoke about the Goducate Training Center (GTC) and the on-going activities of GTC-trained community development workers in municipalities affected by Typhoon Haiyan

Goducate is committed to holding other community-based trainings in partnership with WMI, not only on WASH but also on emerging and sustainable technologies popularized by Goducate to help ensure food security in needy communities.

Explaining Goducate to officials of Toboso, Negros

2014-02-112014-02-12

Goducate seamstresses in Laguna start on new sewing contract

In January last year, when Goducate started a sewing project in Laguna, there were only 3 sewing machines in the community. A contract was secured for the 3 women to sew school uniforms, but they could not meet demand. However, over the year, thanks to generous Goducate sponsors, the number of machines available for contract work has increased to 12, enabling more women to be trained to sew. Unfortunately, payment for work done was often delayed.

For poor people, not only is regular payment very important, but also payment at short intervals. A contract that we were eyeing, to sew clothing for sale at shopping malls, had to be rejected because the workers were to be paid at 2-monthly intervals.

A contract has now been secured, this time sewing whole-body uniforms for an electronics company that pays weekly.

The machinists contribute a small portion of their earnings to Goducate, and another portion to the person in charge of the project.

Supervisor with newly trained seamstress

Whole-body uniform for electronics company