Posted on

Goducate heading for 100 literacy centers in northern Sabah….and then?

Earlier this year, Goducate discussed our dreams with our teachers (who are the local mums that we have trained to teach their own people) and we came to the “conclusion” that we should aim for 100 centers in the north Sabah area.

At that time, it seemed like an impossible dream. However, when I returned to Sabah recently one month after that planning meeting – we had started another 7 literacy centers! 7 new centers in 1 month is not bad at all!!

Most of these centers are small – with about 50 to 60 children. Most of them are held in the “balcony” of a house or in the sitting room of a house. These premises are offered by kampong people who are keen that their kids get to learn to read and write.

For the time being, teachers from neighboring kampongs with established literacy centers are sent to teach. In a few months, local mums will be trained (on the job, and in our training program) to take over.

New school in sitting room of kampong's "rich" man's house
New school in "balcony" of house

Goducate hopes to move on to southern Sabah this year and repeat this dream to help needy people help themselves to read and write.

Posted on

Sabah Literacy Centers latest resource – teenage teachers

Every time I visit Goducate’s Literacy Centers in Sabah, I am amazed by the quality of the teachers. They may lack the professional diplomas or the grasp of the intricacies of English grammar but they more than make up for these by their passion and love for the kids they teach.

When I see them teaching in the little run-down classrooms, using the simplest teaching aids, I am convinced that teaching is more a passion than a profession!

Because Goducate believes in helping the needy to help themselves, Goducate trains local mums to teach their own kampong children. This strategy has worked well thus far. Besides the passion that these mums bring to their teaching each day, this strategy is extremely cost-effective and sustainable.

After almost 3 years of developing literacy centers for the illegal aliens in Sabah, we have now discovered another rich teacher resource – namely, our former students who can now teach what they have learned from us!

Several of these students have already joined our “faculty” as assistant teachers and then moved on to being full-fledged literacy teachers, while at the same time continuing with their own schooling. Every time, I see one of these teenage teachers I am assured that Goducate’s philosophy of helping people to help themselves is more than a slogan – it is a reality.

On my most recent trip, when I was introduced to the new teachers I was pleasantly shocked to be introduced to a 12 year old teacher. Azmi was always an outstanding student and I was sure that he would be special but to see him join the “faculty” at the age of 12 was more than I could imagine.

Teenage teachers (Azmi 2nd from right)

Azmi is not a teenage teacher, he is a “child” teacher! Thankfully, it’s not child labor but a labor of love for Azmi to teach his fellow kampong mates!

teachers meeting
Teenage teacher who hopes to be a lawyer one day
Posted on

Sabah Literacy Center – We want to learn to read at any price!

Water World is a 5 months old goducate center Sabah. It was named waterworld because once it was high tide the water reaches until the floor of our elevated school house. High tide will never be a hindrance to the students to go to school as well as volunteered teachers. I’ll show you some several ways to go to school even though high tide.

1.Bridge making is one way of going to our center. Students and teachers were together getting some logs.. making artificial bridge to step on and not getting too wet.

2. Up.. up.. pull is another way.. How? simple.. pull your shorts up and walk in water be sure to step on the right angle.. or else you will fall on the hole or you’ll step on the “floating object”.

3.Floating icebox is the easiest way to go to our center when its high tide.Just ride on it and ask someone to push you.

We think it’s ridiculous but that’s how they value their school and education. High tide will never be a hindrance for them to study and learn. I had shown you only 3 ways but there will be a lots of ways.

The visit.
Two weeks ago dentists from Philippines volunteered to visit and see the work in Sabah. They came in with their own tools and ready to extract the painful teeth of people in Khampung..

Some of them told us that never in their entire life ever seen a real dentist in person. Imagine some of the patients reaches the age of 60.. some ages 17-19 yrs old and the front teeth was “unidentified” already.The dentists did their job very well at 5 stations in 4 days. Despite of tiresome body and sleepless nights, the joy was still seen as they pull the tooth until the patients are now ready to give their BIG SMILE again..

The Father/ The patient

Uncle Asta is a husband of our volunteer teacher in one of our center ” WATER WORLD”. When the dentist came, he was one of the patients who patiently resist the pain of injection until his front teeth was pulled out.. He was so thankful. In return for his being grateful, he ask that if its possible he can help the waterworld by making a boat we just provide the materials and the labour was free..

Just this afternoon as I pass by in his house I saw him working for it.. It was a huge boat for our center in water world. This will be the 4th way of going to our center in the coming days.. Looking forward to that.. Row, row, row your boat.