By LINDA ESGUERRA Date Posted: November 21, 2007
Hello my friends,
I just got back from a successful GK Yo!GAT (Young Once - yeah those who are 61 and not 16, 50 and not 15, 52 and not 25 - Great Adventure Tour).
We visited existing Gawad Kalinga Australian Villages in Metro Manila, plus GK Real, Quezon, GK Solano in Solano, and GK Reunion in Batangas. We also witnessed the initial ground work in GK St. Jude Village.
The 'pioneering' group of 13 participants from Australia, mostly donors and volunteers in Gawad Kalinga, blazed through the hectic itinerary with much enthusiasm and gusto!
One does not realise the enormity of the challenges brought about by poverty in the Philippines, especially Metro Manila, until you come face to face with it and see it in the eyes of the children from the slums. Equally confronting is the wall to wall squatter areas that dominate the landscape everywhere!
Yo!GAT was aimed at sharing with the participants the essence of Gawad Kalinga, whose work for the poor continues to provide hope for our less fortunate brothers and sisters through its holistic approach to housing, health, livelihood, education and better environment.
The 6-day activities personally empowered me to keep my resolve to continue supporting the works of GK. I have witnessed the struggles that our beneficiaries are going through; I have seen the hope in the children's eyes as they savour the lessons they get from their volunteer teachers; I was re-charged by the enthusiasm of the the youth groups in the villages; I was humbled by the love and appreciation that the GK families showered us during our visit.
And I am equally impressed by the dedication of the caretaker and kapitbahayan teams who have not wavered in their belief in GK and its program for the poor.
I must commend GK ANCOP Australia for including YoGAT in its activities. I hope we can continue this journey, and hopefully encourage donors and volunteers to make it their while to see for themselves the triumphs of GK in the hearts of the poor.
Thank you, and regards.
We visited existing Gawad Kalinga Australian Villages in Metro Manila, plus GK Real, Quezon, GK Solano in Solano, and GK Reunion in Batangas. We also witnessed the initial ground work in GK St. Jude Village.
The 6-day activities personally empowered me to keep my resolve to continue supporting the works of GK. I have witnessed the struggles that our beneficiaries are going through; I have seen the hope in the children's eyes as they savour the lessons they get from their volunteer teachers; I was re-charged by the enthusiasm of the the youth groups in the villages; I was humbled by the love and appreciation that the GK families showered us during our visit.
