By: Gilbert M. Forbes
Those who think that our nation is hopeless and will forever remain stuck in the mire of poverty, helplessness and despair should listen to Tony Meloto, the guiding spirit of Gawad Kalinga. Or better yet, join him in his endeavor to correct some of the social and economic inequities in our nation.
Meloto told the story of Filipinos abroad who are coming back to help or are contributing funds to help build Gawad Kalinga villages in the Philippines. He told stories about some “crazy people," like two former top business executives who left high-paying jobs to take up key positions in Gawad Kalinga. He told the story of a “crazy New Zealander" who quit a high-paying marketing and IT job to help out in GK.
He recounted the story of his son-in-law, the millionaire Dylan Wilk, who left a life of ease and comfort in Great Britain to help raise funds for the construction of houses for the poor. He told the story of his own children who quit good jobs in big corporations to help their father with his project.
At the reception, Meloto’s own story was recounted. A marketing executive, he experienced his “epiphany" in 1985 when he joined the Couples for Christ. It was an encounter that changed his vision and priorities. He brought the Couples for Christ to Negros Occidental province and helped put up the CFC Family Ministries in 1993. Two years later he launched an anti-poverty program in Bagong Silang, Cavite, which evolved into what is now known as Gawad Kalinga, which means “to give care."
The mission of the movement is to empower communities and improve the living conditions of slum dwellers. With the help of Couples for Christ, Meloto transformed Bagong Silang into the first Gawad Kalinga Village and built decent houses for the community.
One of the conditions for Gawad Kalinga’s projects is that while beneficiaries don’t have to pay for their new homes, they must help the volunteers who build them. This concept prevents beneficiaries from developing an attitude of mendicancy and dependence. It illustrates the saying that “God helps those who help themselves," and it helps in the formation of strong, self-reliant families.
Gawad Kalinga draws sponsors from expatriate Filipinos, civic organizations, schools, government agencies and big corporations. Aside from building houses, it also takes care of the health, educational and livelihood needs of the villages.
Today there are 1,400 Gawad Kalinga villages and the movement has set a goal of building 700,000 houses in 7,000 communities in 7 years, with 2010 as the target date for delivery. Landowners, businessmen, big corporations are donating land. Gawad Kalinga has an army of 200,000 volunteers, a force that is much bigger than the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which is 130,000 strong.
Many Filipinos have been complaining about the economic and social situation in their country. They say that there seems to be no hope for their nation, that it will not be able to rise from the despond of poverty and despair.
But they should take heart from the words of a new American philanthropist, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, whose foundation has spent $8 billion in 12 years for world health programs and US education. In a recent speech at Harvard, Gates said: “[H]umanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries -- but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity -- reducing inequity is the highest human achievement."
Meloto has the same idea. With his Gawad Kalinga, he is trying to reduce social and economic inequity in many areas in our country. And while helping the poor rise from their poverty, he is moving them from charity to genuine Christian stewardship. He is one Filipino who is not taking the usual recourse of cursing the darkness. He has lighted a candle that will help banish the darkness.
The Gawad Kalinga concept, replicated thousands of times all over the country, may yet be one answer to the problem of poverty that has kept millions of people locked in its pitiless vise.
Gawad Kalinga and the BRIGADA ESKWELA
What about in education particularly in our schools, how could the spirit of Gawad Kalinga be replicated to help build more school buildings or at least maintain, strengthen and beautify current school buildings. What about in raising learning achievements of pupils? What can an ordinary citizen do about it? Shall he just do the critiquing but not giving solutions?
This is the very concept of the BRIGADA ESKWELA but many just don’t take it seriously. Sad to say but some just take it as merely a yearly rendezvous, a requirement particularly to many of the parents. As I personally look at some of them, they seem to take it as an ‘abala.’
Be as an irresponsible as they might be, they just arrive without anything at hand. The same with the politicians who’s support just come during election season. BRIGADA ESKWELA isn’t that strong particularly in urban areas unlike in rural areas.
On a nation wide scale, still of course, the impact could already be good but on individual schools, it could be not that significant except for some lucky ones. It It is indeed something that should challenge not only school leaders but the community as well for as an African proverb say’s. ‘it takes a village to educate a child,’ nothing more, nothing less.
With funding now coming from the national government through MOOE on a regular basis though still not enough but quite a big help, many schools are now finding volunteer workers essentially difficult. Very seldom that we can now expect free labor. What is worst, even many of the hired laborers are abusing by not accepting work on a daily basis. They mostly preferred contracting-scheme (pakyaw system) charging amount usually greater than the allowed amount. If entered into a daily labor practice, work usually seen to be too slow so that they could charged or be paid more-- another Pinoy character dilemma.
For school leaders who are just getting familiar in basic construction and maintenance schemes will take time to learn and to adjust until they could get control of the situation. This is a sad case that should not be happening and should be stopped before it get worst.
No matter what, still, it is a fact that education is the single best solution that will reduce inequities as well as change how individuals view themselves, their values and the world. You change ones attitude and values and you has empowered him already to rise from where he is.
Reference:
High Achievement, an Editorial, Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 2, 2007
Those who think that our nation is hopeless and will forever remain stuck in the mire of poverty, helplessness and despair should listen to Tony Meloto, the guiding spirit of Gawad Kalinga. Or better yet, join him in his endeavor to correct some of the social and economic inequities in our nation.
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| Children has to complement the absence of responsible adults. |
He recounted the story of his son-in-law, the millionaire Dylan Wilk, who left a life of ease and comfort in Great Britain to help raise funds for the construction of houses for the poor. He told the story of his own children who quit good jobs in big corporations to help their father with his project.
At the reception, Meloto’s own story was recounted. A marketing executive, he experienced his “epiphany" in 1985 when he joined the Couples for Christ. It was an encounter that changed his vision and priorities. He brought the Couples for Christ to Negros Occidental province and helped put up the CFC Family Ministries in 1993. Two years later he launched an anti-poverty program in Bagong Silang, Cavite, which evolved into what is now known as Gawad Kalinga, which means “to give care."
The mission of the movement is to empower communities and improve the living conditions of slum dwellers. With the help of Couples for Christ, Meloto transformed Bagong Silang into the first Gawad Kalinga Village and built decent houses for the community.
One of the conditions for Gawad Kalinga’s projects is that while beneficiaries don’t have to pay for their new homes, they must help the volunteers who build them. This concept prevents beneficiaries from developing an attitude of mendicancy and dependence. It illustrates the saying that “God helps those who help themselves," and it helps in the formation of strong, self-reliant families.
Gawad Kalinga draws sponsors from expatriate Filipinos, civic organizations, schools, government agencies and big corporations. Aside from building houses, it also takes care of the health, educational and livelihood needs of the villages.
Today there are 1,400 Gawad Kalinga villages and the movement has set a goal of building 700,000 houses in 7,000 communities in 7 years, with 2010 as the target date for delivery. Landowners, businessmen, big corporations are donating land. Gawad Kalinga has an army of 200,000 volunteers, a force that is much bigger than the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which is 130,000 strong.
Many Filipinos have been complaining about the economic and social situation in their country. They say that there seems to be no hope for their nation, that it will not be able to rise from the despond of poverty and despair.
But they should take heart from the words of a new American philanthropist, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, whose foundation has spent $8 billion in 12 years for world health programs and US education. In a recent speech at Harvard, Gates said: “[H]umanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries -- but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity -- reducing inequity is the highest human achievement."
Meloto has the same idea. With his Gawad Kalinga, he is trying to reduce social and economic inequity in many areas in our country. And while helping the poor rise from their poverty, he is moving them from charity to genuine Christian stewardship. He is one Filipino who is not taking the usual recourse of cursing the darkness. He has lighted a candle that will help banish the darkness.
The Gawad Kalinga concept, replicated thousands of times all over the country, may yet be one answer to the problem of poverty that has kept millions of people locked in its pitiless vise.
Gawad Kalinga and the BRIGADA ESKWELA
What about in education particularly in our schools, how could the spirit of Gawad Kalinga be replicated to help build more school buildings or at least maintain, strengthen and beautify current school buildings. What about in raising learning achievements of pupils? What can an ordinary citizen do about it? Shall he just do the critiquing but not giving solutions?
This is the very concept of the BRIGADA ESKWELA but many just don’t take it seriously. Sad to say but some just take it as merely a yearly rendezvous, a requirement particularly to many of the parents. As I personally look at some of them, they seem to take it as an ‘abala.’
Be as an irresponsible as they might be, they just arrive without anything at hand. The same with the politicians who’s support just come during election season. BRIGADA ESKWELA isn’t that strong particularly in urban areas unlike in rural areas.
On a nation wide scale, still of course, the impact could already be good but on individual schools, it could be not that significant except for some lucky ones. It It is indeed something that should challenge not only school leaders but the community as well for as an African proverb say’s. ‘it takes a village to educate a child,’ nothing more, nothing less.
With funding now coming from the national government through MOOE on a regular basis though still not enough but quite a big help, many schools are now finding volunteer workers essentially difficult. Very seldom that we can now expect free labor. What is worst, even many of the hired laborers are abusing by not accepting work on a daily basis. They mostly preferred contracting-scheme (pakyaw system) charging amount usually greater than the allowed amount. If entered into a daily labor practice, work usually seen to be too slow so that they could charged or be paid more-- another Pinoy character dilemma.
For school leaders who are just getting familiar in basic construction and maintenance schemes will take time to learn and to adjust until they could get control of the situation. This is a sad case that should not be happening and should be stopped before it get worst.
No matter what, still, it is a fact that education is the single best solution that will reduce inequities as well as change how individuals view themselves, their values and the world. You change ones attitude and values and you has empowered him already to rise from where he is.
Reference:
High Achievement, an Editorial, Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 2, 2007
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