Posted on

Goducate Sabah Holds First Online Youth Camp

To cater to youth stuck at home and no school to attend because of restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Goducate conducted its first online youth camp on May 30-31. The camp was for youth in Malaysia, where the government has imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO), and in the Philippines, where there is Enhanced Community Quarantine (CQ).

Over 50 participants, the majority from Sabah, Malaysia, attended the camp, which was titled “Mission Grounded Life: True Keys to Successful Living”. Goducate Philippines volunteers were the speakers for the main topics, which were Smart Use of Technology and Mental Wellness. In the afternoon there were skill-based interactive sessions on topics ranging from basic gardening, personality development, home making, basic home first aid, and sports such as basketball and volleyball. These sessions were led by specialists from the Philippines and facilitators from Goducate Sabah, Malaysia.

Goducate Sabah is aiming to reach out to the youth both in Malaysia and the Philippines, regardless of culture, religious affiliation, and backgrounds, through creating digital platforms and educating our youth to be responsible and productive during this pandemic. The two-day camp was run using the software Zoom, which has breakout sessions that allow participants to be divided into smaller groups for more detailed discussion and interactions.

During this Online Zoom Camp, participants learnt how to make a video, as individuals or as teams, that show what they learned in the camp. There were games and contests too, for the participants, to enjoy and to get to know each other better. Maurelline, one of the youth facilitators shared, “It was a great experience. I was nervous in the beginning but with the guidance of the organizers I was able to do it”.

*Our guest writer is the Goducate Sabah Training Coordinator.

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

Weekend visit to our literacy centers in Sabah

This Friday about a dozen Goducate supporters from Singapore will fly to Sabah to visit our literacy centers. The team consists of about seven Goducate volunteer workers and 3 or 4 staff members from our corporate sponsors, MHC Asia.

The last time we visited the centers in February, there were just 2 centers with about 400 students. This time the team will visit all 5 centers with about 1000 students. These students are unable to attend normal schools because they are “undocumented aliens” who have fled from the poverty of war-torn southern Philippines to the peaceful shores of Sabah.

It will be a lightning trip over a weekend because most of the Goducate volunteers have to return to work on Monday.

We will arrive on Friday evening, in time to enjoy a lovely seafood dinner in a restaurant built over the sea. On Saturday, we will start off early to visit the centers. Two of the centers are short distances from the road, one requires a 30 minute walk up a jungle path, another requires a 20 min walk over a soggy swampy ground, and another is a balancing act on a narrow plank walkway over a swamp.

On Sunday morning the team will return home – hopefully able to share what they saw and experienced with other Singaporeans and convert them into becoming supporters of these poor children because Goducate believes that every child deserves a decent education.