Third time lucky By RHONA CUARESMA
I never expected that I’d be coming to the Gawad Kalinga Youth Great Adventure Tour (GKY GAT) in 2007. Having joined the group in 2005 and 2006, I knew that I’d be very lucky if I will be able to go the third time around.
Alas! I was destined to be one of the 77 participants in 2007 and I certainly have no regrets of coming along for the third time! A friend of mine has even stated that I am a certified ‘GKY GAT addict’ when I told her that I’d be going again this year!
So, why do I keep joining GKY GAT every year, even if it means having less money in my bank account after the trip? It’s simply because the experience you have in joining the trip is priceless! It’s something that money can never buy and at the same time adds on to your treasured memories in life!
By attending GKY GAT every year, I was given the chance to make my dream and other people’s dream become a reality…
Leaving the Philippines at the age of 11 to live abroad and having seen the poverty in this country, I grew up having the desire to help the poor but just don’t know how to reach out to them. They were included in my daily prayers but surely there has to be something else that I can do to help them.
As I started earning money, I learnt how to share my blessings by donating to a few charity organisations. It was in 2004 that I came across Gawad Kalinga and its program for the youth called GKY GAT. Not only did it challenge my limited knowledge of how I can help the poor, but it served as an instrument for me to go beyond my limits in helping them!
To live with a poor family, eat with them, sleep under the same roof, share stories and dreams with them, build their homes and community, teach the children how to sing, dance, create arts & crafts, take the children out on a field trip to the mall, to the zoo or to an amusement park, are just some of the things that GKY GAT has allowed me to do! The GKOM (media & communications arm of Gawad Kalinga) Training that our team went through in 2006 was absolutely unforgettable.
GKY GAT has also given me a chance to discover the beauty of the Philippines by visiting tourist spots such as Intramuros, Palawan, Boracay and Bohol. It was also overwhelming to meet some dignitaries such as the Australian Ambassador and some of the country’s popular artists, CEOs and government officials who support the work of Gawad Kalinga.
And at the end of each trip, I am reminded of how much I am blessed and how I am called to share my blessings with others. Not to mention, I have a lot of new friends whom I have met and shared my wonderful GKY GAT experience with!
One of the most unbelievable miracles of GKY GAT is the bond between the families you stay with during Immersion. You arrive as a stranger to them and later on become a visitor to their place, but one thing is for sure, that you will leave that home as a new member of their family!
Who would’ve thought that you can bring so much joy to someone’s life, to a family, to a community, just by spending some quality time with them? Who would’ve thought that you can be an inspiration to many? And even be seen as a Hero? Through GKY GAT, you can!
Having attended a number of GKY GAT, I can say that each experience is unique and definitely gets better every year! I continue to learn more things about the work of Gawad Kalinga, meet more friends and be able to do more for the poor!
As I started earning money, I learnt how to share my blessings by donating to a few charity organisations. It was in 2004 that I came across Gawad Kalinga and its program for the youth called GKY GAT. Not only did it challenge my limited knowledge of how I can help the poor, but it served as an instrument for me to go beyond my limits in helping them!
