16 - Sharing

Filipinos are big on ‘sharing’. I don’t mean sharing a house or sharing food etc (although they do that a lot too). The word here is used to refer to talking in front of a group about a personal experience such that the group can either share in your joy and thereby derive inspiration from it or share in your sadness and thereby lessen your load.

It would seem that from a Filipino perspective, there’s nothing more inspiring than a foreigner who has given up their time to come and work for the poor in the Philippines. - particularly as so many Filipinos are so focused on finding an opportunity to work abroad. As such, I have found my role in GK has morphed slightly. On top of the ‘architecture’ stuff, myself and fellow American volunteer, Alison, are being ‘utilised’ to inspire more locals to volunteer with GK. This has in fact become the full-time role of Dylan, the English guy I stayed with in Manila, and he now gets invitations to speak internationally. While Alison and I are not quite in the same league! , we are asked to share on a regular basis locally – what inspired us to work for GK and our experience so far. Alison is a Filipino American also my age. She was born and bread in the U.S. and wanted to reconnect with her Filipino heritage while also serving a cause she believes in – GK’s health program.


“They’ll listen to you because you’re foreigners” they say. Both Alison and I agreed we were in two minds about this. Part of me is questioning whether this is simply perpetuating the colonial mentality but the other part of me thinks that if they really want me to do this and if it encourages more people to volunteer with GK for the betterment of this country isn’t that a good thing? I was also initially rather uncomfortable about getting up in front of a group of strangers and talking about myself – I’m a bit out of practice at public speaking, having not done it for a while, and coming from my own cultural perspective, it’s not really ‘cool’ to tell everyone about yourself (the tall poppy syndrome). I realised I would just have to ‘get over’ all this cultural baggage and just do it.


We have been doing the rounds of all the colleges in Bacolod, giving a GK Orientation to all the 1st year students. Louie, who is in charge of volunteer recruitment, facilitates. He is also our age, works full-time for GK and is very dedicated. He speaks a little about GK, we show some of the very slick videos put together by the GK Communication team in Manila, and then he calls on us to ‘share’. I have included my ‘sharing’ below as well as one I had the privilege of hearing a few weeks ago.


This week we have been involved in welcoming the first of a series of groups from Singapore, mostly students, who are coming for 1 week immersions in a GK village. They’ll do some building and learn a bit about the Philippines. Alison and I gave our ‘sharings’ as part of their GK orientation session and I was responsible for supervising them for the day they spent building with the beneficiaries at Handumanan. All 52 houses at my village in Handumanan are now at varying stages of construction! Construction began only 10 weeks ago. The village is due for completion in January.


____________________


My ‘sharing’ goes a little something like this:


Mayong aga sa tanan. Ako si Jen. Australian volunteer ako. Ako full time worker sa GK sa pulo (10) ka bulan. Apat (4) ka bulan na ako diri sa Bacolod. Architect ako. Venti ocho (28) anos ako. Naga-tuon ako ilonggo … so please bear with me.


But now in English!


I have been asked to briefly share with you my story – why I came here and my experience working with GK.


For some time I have wanted to do something to help those who are less fortunate than myself. I don’t have a lot of money to give away, but I do have my time and my talent that I can share. So I wanted to find a way that I could use my training as an Architect to help a developing country. That is when a friend told me about the AYAD program (Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development) run by the Australian government. It’s similar to the US Peace Corp. AYAD had identified GK as an organisation that was really making a difference in the Philippines. So they partnered with GK. Given the massive task ahead for Nation Building, GK identified the need for an Architect in Negros. So I applied, and here I am!


Of course, it is not easy – there are plenty of challenges being a volunteer in a foreign country. It is challenging to be away for so long from home, my family, my friends and in particular my boyfriend. It is also challenging working in a very different cultural context from what I’m used to.


But, the rewards far outweigh the challenges. I am learning so much (not just about the Philippines but also about myself) and meeting so many inspiring people. It makes it all worthwhile when I see the joy and gratitude on the face of a beneficiary when they are handed the keys to their first ever home and to know that I played some small part in that.


Who of you has already heard something about GK before today? Most of you – so you already have a headstart on me because I have to be honest with you, before I came to the Philippines I really didn’t know much about GK, or the Philippines. I was amazed to learn that more than half of all Filipinos are squatters in their own country. Over the last 4 months that I’ve been in the Philippines, I have come to realise what a huge and successful organisation GK is – with a strong vision and an ambitious goal. . I came here to design and build houses for the poor but I soon realised that GK is not just about building houses, it’s about building communities. The best thing about GK and the reason why I believe in the work is because the approach is wholistic and sustainable. We don’t just build houses and walk away. It is supported by a team of volunteers who guide the community to organise themselves into cooperatives etc and other volunteers who give their time at weekends to deliver programs on health, spend time with the kids or help establish livelihood programs etc. It very much relies on working together, bayanihan. I truly believe, if everyone comes together to play their small part, a slum free squatter free Philippines might just be achievable within our lifetime. So I encourage you all to volunteer with GK in whatever way you can even if it’s just a couple of hours per week. It is a very rewarding experience!


Salamat ___________________________


In turn, I have been inspired by others who have also ‘shared’. One such sharing was given by Anna Balcells, a local lady of Spanish decent who has made a commitment to raising the funds for a whole village. At the handover of the latest batch of 8 houses she gave the following sharing:


Good morning ladies and gentlemen, Mayor Eric Saratan and all Talisay City and Barangay Officials, all Gawad Kalinga and Couples for Christ Members, Family and Friends!


Today we turnover the next 8 houses of the Gawad Kalinga – Alberto Balcells Legacy Village. Every house in this village is a miracle and a labour of love.
My father, Alberto Balcells, who was born in Barcelona, Spain and lived in the country for 49 years, always said that Talisay and the island of Negros was his PARADISE and that he would rather live here than anywhere else in the world.
Yes, the Philippines was my father’s personal Paradise. BUT he would always tell me how it broke his heart to see so much poverty in such a beautiful country, especially the homeless and how he wished he had the money to help build everyone a house. I now clearly see that Papa would like us all to help make the Philippines a paradise for every single Filipino especially for the poorest of the poor.

After being inspired by Gawad Kalinga and in honor of my father, I set out to establish the Gawad Kalinga – Alberto Balcells Legacy Village last year. This would be my family’s way of THANKING the people of Talisay – and Negros Occidental – for making Papa one of their very own and taking such good care of him and his family.


I strongly ENCOURAGE all families in Negros to establish Gawad Kalinga communities IN HONOUR of a loved-one. If all families do this, we CAN eradicate homelessness.


So today we want to truly thank the families who so generously donated the funds required to build the next 8 houses of this village. This is primarily due to 4 houses from my nephew Daryll Lacson-Wilson from Vancouver, Canada, 2 houses from my good friends Joe & Tina Guingona and 2 houses also from my good friends George & Nena Ortoll. This brings us already to a total of 20 houses; almost halfway to our goal and commitment of 50 houses for the GK – Alberto Balcells village.


I also wish to extend our gratitude to the Mayor of Talisay City, Eric Saratan, and all the people of Talisay for their whole hearted support for this housing project. We hope that this successful partnership between the political leaders and the private business community will continue to prosper for the good of the City of Talisay. We need to work together to bring even bigger projects into our city. So we appeal to all of the people of Talisay City to work harmoniously for more projects like this to take place.


And most especially THANK YOU to Gawad Kalinga for successfully helping the lives of thousands across the nation by building not just homes but stable communities. So much can happen when Filipinos open their hearts to their countrymen. I encourage each of you to generously support Gawad Kalinga as they successfully change the lives of the poor.


My message to everyone, once again is that just as my father found paradise in this country let us all help MAKE IT A PARADISE FOR EVERY SINGLE FILIPINO, ESPECIALLY THE POOREST OF THE POOR. Most Filipinos think paradise is out there and yet we can find it right here. The poor, like all of us, deserve to have their own little piece of paradise in this beautiful country.


To the beneficiaries, I want you to know that these houses were built with love. I hope you will love them and take good care of them so that you may create a beautiful home and a wonderful community to live in.
Thank you and God bless you all abundantly! ________________________

15-Mt Pinatubo

A fellow AYAD, Meagan, has been working in an NGO in Manila for the past 12 months assisting in setting up their Human Resource Management systems (a similar role to my housemate Aruna). Her placement has come to an end and she is heading back to Australia, but to ensure she went out with a bang she organised a fantastic ‘despedida’ weekend. About 20 people joined in – mostly AYAD’s but also a couple of US Peace Corp volunteers, a couple of European volunteers and a Canadian volunteer. Aruna and I flew up to Manila on Friday night conveniently only a 1 hour flight. We were reminded how grateful we are to be based in Bacolod though when it then took us 3 hours to get across Manila to Meagan’s place where we stayed for the night.

On Saturday morning we all headed for a permaculture farm established and run by a Belgian guy 90km north of Manila. We had a tour of the farm and an introduction to the principles of permaculture which I found particularly appropriate for the work we’re doing in GK. And ironically, it is a system developed by a couple of Australian’s! The best part was walking barefoot through the rice fields, mud squelching between our toes! They cooked up a delicious meal of farm produce and we settled into the bamboo farmhouse for a night of Karaoke.

We were up bright and early Sunday morning (6am) for the highlight of the weekend – climbing the famous Mt. Pinatubo Volcano. Mt Pinatubo last erupted in 1991. At that time the slopes and foothills was home to some 30,000 indigenous Aeta people who had fled there to escape the Spanish in 1565. In April and May of 1991 they had to evacuate to the lowlands to flee the imminent eruption. More that 8000 homes were destroyed and a further 73,000 damaged. The ash in the atmosphere produced spectacular sunsets around the world for several months. Looking at the landscape now, it is hard to believe it was once covered in a dense jungle, scattered villages and rice fields.

In true Filipino style, the journey was an adventure, but when we eventually got there it was all worth it. We got away from the farm an hour later than planned because we were waiting for the jeepney Meagan had hired which we hadn’t realised had been sitting out the front for the past hour. Part way into the drive it became evident that the driver didn’t actually know how to get to the tourist office at the base of Mt Pinatubo. But after stopping to ask directions from several bystanders, we finally reached the place. From here you can hire guides for the walk. It was at this point we were told that due to a typhoon that ripped through recently, the track had been damaged and it was necessary to take a different route. So what is normally a 1.5hr return walk just became a 5hour return walk! But we’d come this far, there was no way we were turning back now! So we all piled in the 4WD’s for the 1 hour drive across the surreal and rugged volcanic landscape to the start of the walk. On the way, one of the 4WD’s broke down and after some deliberation, the passengers squashed into the other 3 vehicles while the driver remained behind to fix the broken one.

We commenced the walk at 12.30, at the height of the sun, on limited sleep, no lunch and only a few bottles of water between us. What were we thinking? But luckily, the temperature was very pleasant, the track was shaded by the steep ash deposits and everyone put mind over matter to enjoy the adventure. The track follows the river the whole way, requiring constant crossing and re-crossing through the refreshing and often knee deep water. In contrast to my expectations, it wasn’t actually steep – it was a gradual ascent all the way. That is, until the very end where there is a short steep section. On reaching the top of this short steep section, you are looking down into the crater and its breathtaking aqua blue lake.

The lake gets its surreal colour from the high mineral content and it feels kind of soapy to swim in. After a brief swim, we re-traced our steps to the awaiting 4WD’s. We were doing the last section of the walk in the dark aiming for the light of the fire the driver of the broken vehicle (now fixed) had lit. The drive back to the tourist office was taken cautiously in the dark across the rugged terrain but this time, one of the other vehicles broke down and again the passengers squashed into the other 3. Back at the tourist office the tables were spread with rice, vegetable dishes, chicken dishes and noodles and I can safely say it was the best meal we’d ever had!

Amazingly our trip back to Manila (jeepney then bus then taxi’s) after dinner was relatively smooth! We arrived at Meagan’s place exhausted but happy just after 11pm. Aruna and I were glad we’d had the foresight to change our return flight from Sunday night to Monday morning. Given our experience getting to Meagans on Friday night we got up at 5am to be on the safe side, but of course, it only took half an hour to get to the airport this time! At least that gave us time before our flight for some airport coffee’s to wake us up for a day at work once we arrived back in Bacolod! What a weekend!

14 - Cultural Fatigue

Well, I’ve made it well into the 3rd month without getting sick or injured at all (touch wood!). I have to admit, however, that I have been experiencing a bit of what they call cultural fatigue which is common 3 months in. This is when the initial excitement of the new adventure is starting to wear off and the reality is setting in. Those cultural differences can provoke frustration rather than interest or amusement. And I guess this is compounded by the fact that it is my favourite time of year in Australia right now. Just coming into summer and I can imagine the jacarandas about to spread forth their purple haze heralding the start of the Festive Season. (by the way, the Festive Season in the Philippines is already in full swing having started 2 months ago!). And what I would do for a soy cap from Goldbergs on Darby St!

I’ve been doing some reading and I found the following quote particularly relevant. It’s taken from: Culture Shock – A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette in the Philippines by A & G Roces:

“The typical volunteer cherished directness, sincerity, efficiency and quality. Yet all these values were challenged by the foreign culture in which he worked, to the point where pursuit of them could be counter-productive. Realising this, the volunteer was likely to pose for himself some searching questions, such as “If all I do is play a part, adjusting my behaviour to my hosts, then what will I be contributing to the community?” And, “Should I be, and can I be, actor enough to be false to what I value as right and good?” And, ultimately, dormant identity problems were likely to reappear in the form of the question, “Can I not be myself?” – which inexorably led to the unnerving, “Who am I?”

For me, a ‘recipe’ person who’s fond of planning ahead I have had to learn how to surrender control somewhat and go with the flow. It has been a challenge to find the balance between going with the flow and initiating some forward planning such that I feel I’m making the most of my limited time here. The attitude to time is a much more fluid and flexible one in the Philippines compared to the western concept of time. Meetings rarely start on time and will generally proceed with half an hour or so of small talk before the meeting proper gets underway. But this is the Filipino way. It’s partly a legacy of the Spanish concept of “manana” and partly a focus on building personal relationships to make it easier to call on that person at a later date when an important decision needs to be made.

Communication in Filipino culture is all about creating harmony. It is not usual to contradict someone, and certainly not in a public forum. Being a naturally blunt person, I have had to temper my desire to blurt things out. I do miss a good debate though! In the same vain, ‘yes’ does not necessarily always mean ‘yes’. A positive response will be given in order to please the person, so it is important to develop the knack of reading the body language to determine whether the yes is actually a maybe or a no!

If something isn’t finished on time or not done it is more likely to be laughed off rather than an apology given as loosing face (or Amor Propio) is a big deal in the Philippines. This can be frustrating if I’m expecting something to be done but at the same time, if I fail to complete something myself, I know I’m not going to cop flack for it. If one needs to deliver negative feedback to others it is often disguised within a joke.

A lot of communication is non verbal. There is a lot of eyebrow raising, pointing with the lips and slight movements of the head. Often a whole conversation can be carried out without the use of words at all. This is the case now when I go to hail a trysicad each morning, a discrete nod is all it takes!

Another challenge I have faced is the expectation that I’m an instant expert. Far from it, I’m still learning and have a lot to learn from this culture. I have needed to explain that I first have to spend time observing and reflecting on the way buildings are constructed here, the way people live and utilise space and the history of Filipino architecture before I can have a considered opinion and make any meaningful suggestion for improvements to the GK designs.

Learning the language has been more of a challenge than first anticipated. Not because it’s difficult but because everyone speaks English and it’s so easy to be lazy. I can’t help but reflect on my experience in Poland 10 years ago. Three months in and I had had my first dream in Polish, which was such a memorable moment. I’m nowhere near that happening here in the Philippines. However, I have to remember that in Poland I had no work or study commitments so I could concentrate my time on learning the language. Secondly, by comparison, the cultural challenges were not as acute, Poland being a developed European country . And thirdly, with my blonde hair and blue eyes I could have been Polish, so everyone spoke to me in Polish and I got the practice. In the Philippines, firstly, everyone speaks to me in English as I’m obviously a foreigner and secondly after a day of work in a challengingly different cultural context, the last thing I feel like doing is coming home and studying my Ilonggo notes. It sounds like I’m making excuses. I will have to make more of an effort.

Standing out as a foreigner brings with it further challenges on a daily basis. Street beggars see the blonde hair and the white skin and think $$$. And you can’t blame them. Aruna, my housemate, being Indian/Australian doesn’t experience this as much as I do. Beggars in the Philippines don’t sit on the pavement with an outstretched tin can waiting for passers by to approach them, they approach passers by and walk with you tugging on your arm. Such is the desperation. I don’t give money as they are often linked to larger syndicates, but I do give food when I have some. I remind myself that I don’t have a lot of money to give, but I can give my time and my talent for the poor which is why I’m here.

While I was aware of most of these aspects of culture and life in the Philippines through our AYAD training and orientation sessions, it is always going to be a different thing living through it. However, through the challenges and frustrations, I have to step back and remember what an amazing opportunity it is to be here and to be having this experience. The challenges are most definitely counterbalanced with wonderful moments. I’ve been privileged to experience many interesting and wonderful aspects of local culture such as the warm and generous hospitality, the happy go lucky outlook on life, the strong sense of family and the resourcefulness of the Filipino. I’ll tell you about some of these experiences.

The warm hospitality

The invitation to lunch by Maria Theresa epitomises the warm and generous hospitality of the Filipino. Several weeks ago, my housemate Aruna was riding a Jeepney and smiled at a lady opposite who was looking at her. This lead to a 5 minute conversation in which they discovered that she had actually studied with an Indian cousin of Aruna’s! Small world. They exchanged numbers and she invited Aruna and friends to lunch the coming Sunday. Aruna invited Marj and I to go with her and we made the trip to EB Magalona, 3 towns north of Bacolod. She met us off the bus and took us to her humble home which in all honesty is not much more than an upmarket version of a GK house, but alive with the activity of her 5 children. Despite their humble means, she had prepared no less than 5 different dishes for lunch – local shrimp, fish and vegetable dishes with rice. It was a really lovely relaxing afternoon playing with her kids and then going for a walk to the pier.

The happy go lucky outlook

Through building alongside the St Johns Alumni batch of ’83 one Saturday at the Handumanan site, I struck up a friendship with Billy. He is the quintessential happy go lucky Filipino. He is part of a hiking group who regularly go on hikes up the nearby Kanlaon Volcano and its surrounding mountains. He invited me to go with them on their next hike and naturally I took Aruna also and her friend Dave who was visiting from Australia (thanks for the Tassie Pinot Noir Dave!). Half-way up we had to turn back as it had started to rain quite heavily and the steep jungle-like track had turned into a muddy cascade. It was quite an adventure. We were wading through shin deep water at some points and slipping and sliding down other parts getting thorns in our fingers and bruises on our bums but throughout it all Billy was still cracking jokes!

The strong sense of family

I was treated to an insight into the strong sense of family on the 1st of November (All Saints Day). Similar to Poland, also a strong Catholic country, the tradition is that the extended family visit the graves of their loved ones. The Filipinos make it quite an event. My gorgeous friend Marj invited Aruna and I to go with her family to Heaven’s Gate cemetery where her father is burried. Hundreds of families had set up tents and picnic tables next to the graves and spent time talking and eating. There was sticky rice, barbequed pork, chicken drum sticks, spring rolls and Aruna and I took along some noodles. Some families took games and most stayed all day and into the night. There was quite a festive atmosphere. As evening fell, the lit candles on all the grave stones created quite a pretty sight.

The atmosphere wasn’t quite as festive at the public cemetery adjacent to Heaven’s Gate, where graves are stacked on top of one another to save space. There was still plenty of activity going on though and it was fascinating to explore the maze of multi-story graves.

The resourcefulness

November 5th (Cinco de Noviembre) is Negros Day. It commemorates the uprising of the people of Negros against Spanish rule on this day in 1898. General Lacson (my supervisors Great Grandfather) lead the revolt from the north and General Araneta lead the revolt from the south converging on the Spanish who were trapped in the centre of Bacolod. The best part about the story is that only 2 people died. The revolutionaries used local materials to make it look as though they were armed – they painted palm fronds black to look like guns, they mounted painted bamboo on bull carts to look like cannons and they painted coconuts to look like cannon balls! And it worked! They tricked the Spanish into thinking there was a huge army coming for them. They surrendered and signed the constitution of Negros, declaring the island an autonomous state within the Philippines. This lasted 3 years until the Americans invaded.

My supervisor, Ricky Lacson, invited Aruna and I to be a present at the ceremony to recognise the legacy of the heroes of Negros Day. And later in the day we sat with him in the front row of the audience at the Provincial Capital Building for a dramatic re-enactment of that significant day in the history of the island.

So in summary, while there are challenges and I miss home from time to time, I am learning a lot, still having wonderful experiences, meeting inspiring people and hopefully making a positive difference in the work that I am doing, eventhough it often feels like I haven’t done much yet.

13 – Nation Building

Back at work after 2 weeks in Manila followed by the MassKara festival weekend I was amazed at the progress on Handumanan village. Prior to going to Manila I had participated in the first build day where we laid out the first 8 houses and began digging the trenches for the footings. Every Saturday, volunteers from the St Johns alumni association build alongside the beneficiaries on site. It had only been a couple of weeks but already those first 8 houses had roof trusses and a further 8 houses had almost complete walls.

The village at Banago had also made great progress and met the deadline for handover of the first batch of 20 houses which occurred in a ceremony on Saturday 25th. Butch and I went to site at 7am to make sure the preparations for the 9am ceremony were on track. The stage was set, the sound system was being set up, as were the tents and chairs for the guests. I was approached by a man who had just pulled up in a truck, saying he had the lamb. I went to have a look in the back of his truck, thinking, oh yes, this must be the food for the lunch after the ceremony. But it was actually a live lamb with a pile of herbs next to him! They lead the poor beast across the site to an area behind the houses and I witnessed (along with all the curious children of the village) the slitting of its throat. The blood was used to mark signs of the cross over the doors of the 20 new houses (as in the Old Testament tale of the Passover), and then the lamb was prepared for the spit alongside the whole pig who was already roasting.

As this was the first 20 houses to be awarded on this site with many more to come, choosing who would be the first 20 beneficiaries was a very difficult job. This was undertaken by the Local Government Unit and based on criteria such as income, number of dependants etc but also attitude and sweat equity (or number of hours spent building). The first 20 beneficiaries were chosen but not allocated a particular house. The Mayor of Bacolod was the guest of honour and facilitated the lottery of the houses. 20 ping pong balls marked 1 to 20 were placed in a barrel and each beneficiary was asked to step up and pick a number.

As in every GK event, there was entertainment. A group of girls from the village entertained us with a dance and the beneficiaries all grouped together to sing the GK song. It was impossible to keep a dry eye when a representative of the beneficiaries gave a tearful thank you to all who had been involved in the project.

I’ve finally located an English translation of the GK song. It doesn’t sound quite as good as the Tagalog version but the sentiments are there. It goes a little something like this …

I am a poor child, at a young age I went astray
How long do I have to suffer like this?
I hope you will help me change
I am a rich child, all my desires are taken care of
However, I don’t want the country to suffer
I hope you will also help me
I am a true Filipino in thoughts, words and deeds
The blood flowing in my body I will offer to my beloved country

Giving love, giving care
This is needed to be united
The Filipino, when on the move, will bear it all
New home, new life, new country

I will strive to be true, to God and to the country of my birth
The youth today – hope of the future
Wake up and move for the country
Arms linked as neighbours
Let us move the suffering country
In the name of God everything is possible, poor and rich helping each other

Giving love, giving care
This is needed to be united
The Filipino, when on the move, will bear it all
New home, new life, new country

Help move forward, all of us should share
True love given to us by the Almighty One
I bring hammer and nails, let us build the nation
Poor or rich, the Filipino has dignity

Giving love, giving care
This is needed to be united
The Filipino, when on the move, will bear it all
New home, new life, new country x2

Gawad Kalinga (Giving Care)
Gawad Kalinga (Giving Care)
Gawad Kalinga (Giving Care)

Just this week I, along with some new volunteers, had a formal GK Orientation day. It would have been perfect 3 months ago! Better late than never though. While I had picked up most of it over the past 3 months, it was really useful in filling in the remaining gaps. It was delivered by a couple of young GK workers from the head office in Manila who are in the process of travelling throughout the Philippines to present this orientation. Bacolod was lucky enough to be the first. As GK is such a relatively young organisation, prior to this there hasn’t actually been a formal orientation in place. Now that the organisation is growing at a phenomenal rate, the need for an orientation was recognised. In fact, GK is the biggest movement in the Philippines right now.

The vision of GK is a slum free, squatter free Philippines. The mission is “Land for the landless, homes for the homeless and food for the hungry”. The main goal is known as GK777: 700,000 homes, in 7,000 communities, in 7 years (2003 – 2010)! So far, in the first 4 years 1,500 communities have been built. That’s an average of a village a day! To reach the target, within this year and the next 2, 5,500 villages need to be built. That’s an average of 5 villages a day!

GK doesn’t actively recruit/select workers or volunteers. The idea is “Build and they will come”. Anyone can be a GK volunteer or GK Bayani (Hero). But as I learned very early on, GK isn’t simply about building houses, it’s about building communities, and that is achieved collectively (the concept of Bayanihan). I was struck by something the presenter said “If you can do it alone, don’t do it. Bring everyone with you”. Regardless of whether you’re involved in the infrastructure team, the health team, the environment team etc advocacy is an expected part of your role also – to inspire more people to become involved. As such, I have just been informed that I will be presenting the orientation day to the next batch of volunteers arriving from Singapore next month! As someone I know likes to say: “See one, do one, teach one”!