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Making things more meaningful

Recently a young lady contacted me and told me that she was going to celebrate her 21st birthday and wanted her guests to give donations to Goducate rather than give her birthday presents. She had heard about Goducate helping the helpless and wanted to be a part of it.

In her note to me, she wrote that she didn’t need any more expensive branded presents because they wouldn’t really make her any better or happier but she knew that the funds given to Goducate would make some poor kid much better and happier.

For many who are materially blessed, giving to the needy may be what gives them most pleasure and satisfaction. Another branded handbag or pair of shoes would be soon be “lost” in an over-loaded cupboard and forgotten. Another holiday trip would soon be forgotten because most five-star buffet breakfasts are more or less the same and another “great” shopping mall is amazingly similar to the past ones that were visited. Surely, for such people it is better to give than to receive.

May I suggest that you should consider how you can make your next celebration or holiday more meaningful? Why not consider following the example of this young lady and direct your friends to give to a cause? Better still, if you live in Singapore why not consider holding your celebration at the Goducate office? It certainly isn’t five-star (it’s 0 star ranking) but maybe your friends have already been to many five-star places but never been to an office that is a gallery of charitable projects! You wouldn’t even need to plan an entertaining program for them because the photos and write-ups on the wall will fascinate them.

For your next holiday (or family vacation) why not consider visiting a Goducate project? It certainly wouldn’t be fancy but will certainly be fascinating! In fact, it might even be life-changing! Several Goducate friends have already done this and they have told me that their trips to our projects were “awesome”! Those with special skills (eg. ability to teach English, computer, music) were able to volunteer to help our workers on the field. Others came back to tell others about their trip and to organize one for their friends.

Life is too short to be meaningless! Let’s make our life meaningful – and in the process help the helpless!

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Opening Goducate’s first learning center in Laguna

I was in Laguna, Philippines at the beginning of this month. This province has been badly hit by three typhoons – one after the other.

While I was there, the latest typhoon codenamed “Pepeng” hit. Our Goducate team was sitting under some coconut trees discussing our plans when the sky darkened when strong winds blew and bent the coconut trees around us. Thankfully, we were not in the direct path of the typhoon. I was told that this typhoon packed winds of 240 Km/hr. In other words, its effect is like that of a gigantic sports car running over an entire town. Can you imagine the devastation? But then, this is only the beginning!

The winds usually bring along plenty of water and bury towns and fields in the process. As I drove around Laguna, I saw newly formed lakes. I could imagine that under those lakes were the victims’ hard-earned possessions, livelihoods and dreams!

The purpose of my trip was to monitor the use of relief funds that some generous Singaporeans had given to feed the hungry victims. The leader of our Laguna Goducate team, Leo, had asked me for permission to set aside PHP40,000.00 (US$860.00) of the fund to start a Goducate Learning Center. He felt that it was not only important to feed the hungry but also to help them help themselves. The donor readily agreed to allow a part of his gift to be set aside for this new purpose.

Ground breaking at the new Goducate Learning Center in Laguna
Ground breaking at the new Goducate Learning Center in Laguna

A widow, Sophia, had offered to transfer a part of her land to Goducate to build a learning center. It was hard to imagine that this poor widow, with two teenage kids, who lived from hand-to-mouth was giving us about 500 sq feet of her tiny land to help others! The land that she donated is right in front of her front door of her simple house. In other words, she will walk out of her front door and literally step into the learning center!

We plan to use the funds to build a simple structure with a cement floor, half-height hollow-brick walls (to allow natural “air-continuous” ventilation) and a zinc roof.

We held a simple ground-breaking, with the neighbours as witnesses. Then we had a lovely lunch of native chicken soup, sweet-potatoes and rice-cakes. Over lunch we dreamt of the day that this little center would be filled with kids learning their ABC’s, mothers learning hygiene and preventative health and the whole community learning livelihood skills (eg. vermiculture).

Jonathan & Gina
Jonathan & Gina

A dear couple, Jonathan and his wife Gina (and their year old son) have offered their services to help run this learning center. Jonathan loves the poor and Gina is gifted with teaching little children. They are willing to relocate to this community. And we hope to build a little house for them at the back of Sophia’s house.

I believe that the dreams of this little community in Mabakan, Laguna, can be a reality, if we all do our part.

Let’s help the helpless help themselves!

More photos (click thumbnail to view photos):
[nggtags gallery=laguna-lc]