livelihood – Page 2 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2011-05-112011-05-10

Goducate Children’s Home in Cambodia starts self-sustainability projects with tilapia raising

The Goducate Children’s Home has long wanted to be self-sustainable. It has also wanted to teach the children at the home not only to stand on their own feet, but also to go and impart what they have learnt to the community. Over the years we have been gathering information and trying out various projects. Recently, our administrator, Noe Pulmones, went to the Philippines for intensive training in livelihood programs. We are now starting to introduce these programs, starting with short-range goals but with the aim of reaching long-term goals.

Feasibility studies have shown that raising tilapia for sale has more advantages than any other livelihood project. Thus during the Khmer New Year vacation, the boys at the home dug out two new fish ponds.

2011-05-04

Women in Dayap learn to make soap

It’s the dry season in the Philippines in April and May, so it has been hard to keep the vegetable plots watered. Therefore those who have been taking part in our veg@table programme in Dayap are instead learning how to make liquid dishwashing soap from our livelihood trainer Jonatan.

Dayap is the resettlement village for people in Manila who lost their homes during Typhoon Ondoy in 2009. Most of the men still work in Manila in the week and come home only at the weekends. Hence it is the women who are around most of the time.

The two women in the accompanying photographs are already selling their soap. Goducate helped them with a loan of PHP 180 ($4) as start-up capital, which they will repay when they have sold all their products.

P7160106-400 — Jonatan teaching soapmaking

2011-04-202011-04-21

Goducate Training Center’s “soft launch”

On April 9, 2011 we held a “soft launch” for Goducate Training Center in Iloilo, Philippines.

About 200 Goducate supporters and friends (including a dozen from Singapore and Australia) joined us for this occasion to celebrate the completion of Phase 1A of GTC’s development. We had had our ground-breaking in June 2010. So we have completed Phase 1A in 10 months of hard, efficient work.

Phase 1A includes all the basic infrastructure of security fencing, land development, road system, irrigation system, basic agricultural and aqua-cultural developments, office and classrooms, simple trainee accommodations, camp-site, and basic revenue-earning activities.

The main event for the soft launch was held in the canteen of the multipurpose hall, and other events were held in the activity field, agricultural area, camp-site, and restaurant.

We will be taking in our “pilot” batch of 20 over trainees at the end of April. They will be trained for about 6 months in the basic skills needed to help poor communities to help themselves.

The future of Goducate depends on its ability to train the right type of workers who will help needy Asians help themselves. Therefore, GTC is a vital part of Goducate’s future!