by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA – Aside from holding a basketball camp and promoting a new shoe model in his recent visit to Manila, Kobe Bryant made it a point to show his support for the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation (GK).
GK is a nation-building movement which engages all sectors of Philippine society, including the government, academe, corporate, non-government organizations, religious, and civil society.
Bryant spent some time with select 17 children from four GK sites on Tuesday at the Nike Park in Bonifacio High Street, The Fort in Taguig City. Manila was the first stop of his Nike Asia Tour 2009.
The program at The Fort began with a video presentation, not of the Los Angeles Lakers star, but of GK. The video showed pictures of kids from the GK SAGIP program.
“Sagip” is a Filipino word which means “to save a life.” Such program aims to lead the way of change for children and give them a chance to live productive lives away from the streets and vices.
“I love it. I love being around kids,” said the “Black Mamba” when he was joined by the children onstage.
Bryant went on to say that it was “fun to see the smile on their faces.” He added, “They are the future.”
The kids got his autograph and had a group picture taken with him. They also gave him a compilation of their cards and messages for him.
Bryant, meantime, presented GK a check worth P100,000. The amount will be used for the GK Child and Youth developmental program, according to GK head of operations Mari Oquiñena.
Dreaming big
GK executive director Luis Oquiñena, the twin of Mari, revealed that there is a children’s program in every GK site. He said there are around 1,700 GK communities nationwide.
Luis added that they were “pleasantly surprised” when they learned that organizers chose GK for this year’s Kobe Asia Tour.
He said it was an honor to be chosen from thousands of organizations because Bryant is a “big star and global celebrity.”
Bryant has always made it a point to support deserving institutions in every tour, spending some time to be with the children and encourage them to keep dreaming big. In the 2007 Supernatural Asia Tour, he met with children from the Eliseo Belen Charity.
Luis, however, pointed out that being chosen by Kobe Asia Tour organizers also posed a challenged for GK.
He said that as GK volunteers are dreaming big to end poverty in the country, the challenge is for them to continue pursuing their dreams for the Philippines.
He cited that Bryant worked hard to achieve his dreams and status in the sports world.
He mentioned that GK also aspires to dream big as it hopes to build dreams for the poor so that the less fortunate can own a house and live in a decent community.
Rare chance
Two of the select kids who met Bryant at The Fort are Aaron Kyle Simbol and Keannu David Arevalo.
Simbol and Arevalo, both aged 11, come from the GK Tatalon site in Quezon City. They remarked that they are very happy with the rare chance of meeting Bryant.
The youngsters agreed that Bryant was a good player (“magaling”). Simbol reasoned that Bryant is a three-pointer as well as a blocker.
For Arevalo, Bryant is good with making lay-ups. “Pagtira ng lay-up, pasok.” He also mentioned that he had dreamed of seeing Bryant in person.
Meanwhile, when asked if Bryant was better than Michael Jordan, the two boys disagreed.
Arevalo said that Jordan is better. “Laging dumadakdak, siya lang gumagawa.” Simbol, for his part, declared that Bryant is better than Jordan.
source
It's good Kobe is helping Gawad Kalinga. It is Christianity in action!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Local execs into politics of caring GK way
By Chelo Banal-Formoso
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—When Filipinos migrate to America, Canada, Australia or some other country reputed to be a zone of prosperity, it is usually because the government is negligent, the economy is in shambles, the society is crumbling, and they cannot see the good in staying.
And when Filipinos mobilize themselves and leave their zone of comfort to provide their countrymen a basic necessity like shelter, it is usually because the government is negligent, the economy is in shambles, the society is crumbling, and they cannot see the good in staying put.
So being a government official/politician is perhaps the worst credential to present at any gathering attended by these two groups of people. But at the recent GK 2024 Summit held in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund (LRay) Villafuerte Jr. proved there is no such thing as a tough crowd when you are a Gawad Kalinga partner.
Originally a church ministry founded by Tony Meloto and his colleagues in Couples for Christ, Gawad Kalinga has become a multisectoral movement with a tweaked Robin Hood complex. Its mantra—the best for the least—means those who have shall give so those who have not may have houses and communities where they can live as decent human beings and strive for a better future.
With the support of local and global donors and volunteers, there are now over 2,300 GK villages in 400 towns in the Philippines, according to Meloto.
“We can’t keep track of the number of houses but that should be over 150,000,” he said, adding that GK had enough land saved for 550,000.
Marketing man
Immigrants, those hyphenated Filipinos who have made something of themselves in the new country, are responsible for a good number of the existing GK villages (Meloto calls it patriotic philanthropy).
Their faith in GK has as much to do with the kind of leader Meloto is not—he is not a flash-in-the-pan activist, a scoundrel in government, or a slimy politician—as with the kind he is.
For one, he is a brilliant marketing man out “to engage every sector of the society, to bridge social gaps, [and] to transcend partisan politics, business rivalries and parochial interests” in the GK mission of nation-building.
Toward that end, Meloto organized the Boston summit and balanced the presentations from the private sector with show-and-tell from the national, provincial and local governments.
“I wanted to show that GK has broken the trust barrier,” he said.
Meloto couldn’t have done better than pick LRay Villafuerte to talk about Camarines Sur. On the second day of the powwow, before an audience of overseas Filipinos and international CEOs who least expected to be wowed by a third-generation politician and his disaster-prone province, Villafuerte proceeded to deliver the kapow!—complete with a slide show and a video.
For many years, the dream for Camarines Sur was to overcome crippling poverty,” said the governor, disarmingly young at 41.
He talked about a province that was beset by insurgency, as if getting hit by one typhoon after another was not debilitating enough.
It was, he said, a province that could not “come within reach of progress.”
Brand change
The first thing he and his team did, Villafuerte said, was to get rid of a poor image. They dropped the rather lengthy and stodgy name of the province and nicknamed it with something hip, something beckoning and something blue: CamSur.
The minute he said it, the stateside crowd must have thought of the ocean, or the waves a la Big Sur. Quite a hook.
After the brand change, Villafuerte worked with a rough-and-ready determination to turn his hugely ignored province into a global tourist destination. In so doing, he attracted investments.
Three years ago, they built the CamSur Water Complex (CWC) for wakeboarding, water skiing and other extreme water sports. Two years ago, they developed the Caramoan Peninsula; just last year, they opened the Lago del Ray Park.
Early reviews of the CWC have been good, with international publications hailing it among the best in the world. In fact, it was the venue for the 2,000 participants of the 2008 World Wakeboarding Championships.
Endowed with beaches, lakes, cliffs, caves and other natural wonders, the Caramoan Peninsula whetted the appetite for the tropics of some 12 million TV viewers in Europe when it was chosen as location for the reality TV show “Survivor France” 2008 series. More recently, the tide brought in the “Survivor Israel” cast and crew.
Lago del Ray Park, envisioned as the biggest water sports and recreational facility in the country, offers water slides, aqua wall climbing, sailing, jet skiing, kayaking and many other water sports.
Because of these world-class resorts—and here Villafuerte paused to give his audience time to catch its breath—tourist arrivals in CamSur have risen by more than 300 percent!
Build it and they will come, indeed.
“We are now the country’s No. 3 tourist destination, next to Boracay and Cebu,” CamSur’s governor announced, his bright eyes matching his ardor. The audience cheered.
Bigger business
In a subsequent interview, Villafuerte proudly pointed out that “we are the only province [featured in] the front page photo of the Inquirer four times in two months!”
He said he and his team had put up a website that resulted in an astonishing volume of business.
Also, they made their rates affordable so as not to exclude the local market. Pinoy tourists check in from March to June, Australians fly in during their winter (June to September) and Europeans arrive during their cold months (October to March).
Villafuerte said there was no reason CamSur could not beat Cebu and Boracay in tourist arrivals once it had an international airport. “Everything is cheaper in CamSur,” he declared. “We also have the advantage of being accessible by land. The drive from Manila to Bicol is beautiful.”
CamSur has lured not only travelers but also investors.
Villafuerte ticked off a list before his audience—an animation center, the first and only one in the Philippines to make an all-digital animation film (“Dayo”); a 2,000-seat call center, the first and only one in Bicol; an English, Japanese and Korean Language Institute, also the first and only one in the region; an information and technology park, the first in Bicol with Peza approval; and so on.
“From being the 39th poorest province, we are now the 10th richest in terms of income,” he announced. “From being No. 12 in rice production, we are now the country’s fifth largest rice producer.”
Answer to the question
These inspired changes should have been enough to impress any crowd, but as this was a GK meet, the question remained: What have you done for the least of your brethren?
Villafuerte had an answer. Through land banking, CamSur allocated 12,000 lots for its landless and homeless constituents so that now there is a GK Village in each of its municipalities. Upon his election, without actually having met Meloto, he gave full support to GK and soon the number of GK villages in the province grew to 44.
CamSur pioneered the GK Bed & Breakfast Inns to accommodate donors and volunteers visiting GK sites, foreign observers studying the GK model of community-building, as well as tourists tired of the usual sightseeing and eager to plant trees, milk a carabao and get to know the locals in the countryside (what is called “volunteer vacation” in the travel industry).
In October 2008, at the launch of the GK B&B Inns in the towns of Iriga and Libmanan, Meloto and his merry band of builders declared CamSur the GK Designer Province.
The B&Bs are now a livelihood source for the GK villagers who are paid for cleaning, cooking and other hospitality services. All profits go to the GK Fund.
(Offstage, the governor disclosed another future source of income for his GK villagers: bus stop cafés to be put up along the highway where there are GK communities.)
CEO mentality
“I discovered genuine public service through Gawad Kalinga,” the multiawarded Villafuerte told his audience.
After his talk, people approached him to commend him, some saying they had made donations to GK villages in CamSur. This was confirmed by Meloto, who said that among the provinces, CamSur had drawn the most number of donors for GK communities.
“Because people can see immediate results, we get more volunteers, corporate donors and partners from abroad who want to invest in CamSur,” Meloto told the Inquirer. “LRay gets things done because he has the CEO mentality. We need young leaders like him who are visionaries and will be able to get the project off the ground.”
A business graduate of De La Salle University, Villafuerte was running a flourishing export business with his wife Lara before he ran for governor and took over from his father, Luis Sr. (with whom he has had a publicly known feud).
Villafuerte is only one of 28 governors who have teamed up with GK. Meloto welcomes help from elected and Cabinet officials “without judgment, as long as they adhere to our standards of integrity, transparency and accountability.”
Besides donating land, government leaders help solve problems relating to taxes, road access and water supply for the developments.
Mayors et al.
Over 400 mayors have joined GK, some of whom were invited to Boston to showcase the transformations of their towns and cities.
Parañaque Mayor Jun Bernabe is only on his second term but already has 26 GK villages in his city. Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who is relocating 300 families from his turf to a 3.2-hectare property in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, promised free college education to their children. Freddy Tinga, Taguig’s young mayor, presented slides showing GK communities with lofts and landscaping. If CamSur is the GK Designer Province, Taguig, with 20 GK villages, is the GK Designer City.
Even national officials showed up in Boston.
Vice President Noli de Castro, who keynoted the GK Summit, is responsible for the government’s housing agencies and has partnered with GK for the relocation of “informal settlers” along railroad tracks and in six provinces.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a GK partner since 2001, is the first senator to donate GK villages in 16 provinces through his countryside development fund. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, head of the Senate’s housing committee, has continued to work with GK alongside his father, Bukidnon Gov. Joe Zubiri, so that today there are GK villages in 16 towns in their province.
The audience did not scoff but soaked in the good news, took note of the good deeds, and trusted in the wisdom of Meloto’s words: “When the private sector gets to engage government in an honest way for the benefit of our citizens, we call it kalinga politics—the politics of caring.”
As Villafuerte himself said, “Gawad Kalinga is good politics.”
source
This is good news. Local government should be involved in building communities for the poor.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—When Filipinos migrate to America, Canada, Australia or some other country reputed to be a zone of prosperity, it is usually because the government is negligent, the economy is in shambles, the society is crumbling, and they cannot see the good in staying.
And when Filipinos mobilize themselves and leave their zone of comfort to provide their countrymen a basic necessity like shelter, it is usually because the government is negligent, the economy is in shambles, the society is crumbling, and they cannot see the good in staying put.
So being a government official/politician is perhaps the worst credential to present at any gathering attended by these two groups of people. But at the recent GK 2024 Summit held in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund (LRay) Villafuerte Jr. proved there is no such thing as a tough crowd when you are a Gawad Kalinga partner.
Originally a church ministry founded by Tony Meloto and his colleagues in Couples for Christ, Gawad Kalinga has become a multisectoral movement with a tweaked Robin Hood complex. Its mantra—the best for the least—means those who have shall give so those who have not may have houses and communities where they can live as decent human beings and strive for a better future.
With the support of local and global donors and volunteers, there are now over 2,300 GK villages in 400 towns in the Philippines, according to Meloto.
“We can’t keep track of the number of houses but that should be over 150,000,” he said, adding that GK had enough land saved for 550,000.
Marketing man
Immigrants, those hyphenated Filipinos who have made something of themselves in the new country, are responsible for a good number of the existing GK villages (Meloto calls it patriotic philanthropy).
Their faith in GK has as much to do with the kind of leader Meloto is not—he is not a flash-in-the-pan activist, a scoundrel in government, or a slimy politician—as with the kind he is.
For one, he is a brilliant marketing man out “to engage every sector of the society, to bridge social gaps, [and] to transcend partisan politics, business rivalries and parochial interests” in the GK mission of nation-building.
Toward that end, Meloto organized the Boston summit and balanced the presentations from the private sector with show-and-tell from the national, provincial and local governments.
“I wanted to show that GK has broken the trust barrier,” he said.
Meloto couldn’t have done better than pick LRay Villafuerte to talk about Camarines Sur. On the second day of the powwow, before an audience of overseas Filipinos and international CEOs who least expected to be wowed by a third-generation politician and his disaster-prone province, Villafuerte proceeded to deliver the kapow!—complete with a slide show and a video.
For many years, the dream for Camarines Sur was to overcome crippling poverty,” said the governor, disarmingly young at 41.
He talked about a province that was beset by insurgency, as if getting hit by one typhoon after another was not debilitating enough.
It was, he said, a province that could not “come within reach of progress.”
Brand change
The first thing he and his team did, Villafuerte said, was to get rid of a poor image. They dropped the rather lengthy and stodgy name of the province and nicknamed it with something hip, something beckoning and something blue: CamSur.
The minute he said it, the stateside crowd must have thought of the ocean, or the waves a la Big Sur. Quite a hook.
After the brand change, Villafuerte worked with a rough-and-ready determination to turn his hugely ignored province into a global tourist destination. In so doing, he attracted investments.
Three years ago, they built the CamSur Water Complex (CWC) for wakeboarding, water skiing and other extreme water sports. Two years ago, they developed the Caramoan Peninsula; just last year, they opened the Lago del Ray Park.
Early reviews of the CWC have been good, with international publications hailing it among the best in the world. In fact, it was the venue for the 2,000 participants of the 2008 World Wakeboarding Championships.
Endowed with beaches, lakes, cliffs, caves and other natural wonders, the Caramoan Peninsula whetted the appetite for the tropics of some 12 million TV viewers in Europe when it was chosen as location for the reality TV show “Survivor France” 2008 series. More recently, the tide brought in the “Survivor Israel” cast and crew.
Lago del Ray Park, envisioned as the biggest water sports and recreational facility in the country, offers water slides, aqua wall climbing, sailing, jet skiing, kayaking and many other water sports.
Because of these world-class resorts—and here Villafuerte paused to give his audience time to catch its breath—tourist arrivals in CamSur have risen by more than 300 percent!
Build it and they will come, indeed.
“We are now the country’s No. 3 tourist destination, next to Boracay and Cebu,” CamSur’s governor announced, his bright eyes matching his ardor. The audience cheered.
Bigger business
In a subsequent interview, Villafuerte proudly pointed out that “we are the only province [featured in] the front page photo of the Inquirer four times in two months!”
He said he and his team had put up a website that resulted in an astonishing volume of business.
Also, they made their rates affordable so as not to exclude the local market. Pinoy tourists check in from March to June, Australians fly in during their winter (June to September) and Europeans arrive during their cold months (October to March).
Villafuerte said there was no reason CamSur could not beat Cebu and Boracay in tourist arrivals once it had an international airport. “Everything is cheaper in CamSur,” he declared. “We also have the advantage of being accessible by land. The drive from Manila to Bicol is beautiful.”
CamSur has lured not only travelers but also investors.
Villafuerte ticked off a list before his audience—an animation center, the first and only one in the Philippines to make an all-digital animation film (“Dayo”); a 2,000-seat call center, the first and only one in Bicol; an English, Japanese and Korean Language Institute, also the first and only one in the region; an information and technology park, the first in Bicol with Peza approval; and so on.
“From being the 39th poorest province, we are now the 10th richest in terms of income,” he announced. “From being No. 12 in rice production, we are now the country’s fifth largest rice producer.”
Answer to the question
These inspired changes should have been enough to impress any crowd, but as this was a GK meet, the question remained: What have you done for the least of your brethren?
Villafuerte had an answer. Through land banking, CamSur allocated 12,000 lots for its landless and homeless constituents so that now there is a GK Village in each of its municipalities. Upon his election, without actually having met Meloto, he gave full support to GK and soon the number of GK villages in the province grew to 44.
CamSur pioneered the GK Bed & Breakfast Inns to accommodate donors and volunteers visiting GK sites, foreign observers studying the GK model of community-building, as well as tourists tired of the usual sightseeing and eager to plant trees, milk a carabao and get to know the locals in the countryside (what is called “volunteer vacation” in the travel industry).
In October 2008, at the launch of the GK B&B Inns in the towns of Iriga and Libmanan, Meloto and his merry band of builders declared CamSur the GK Designer Province.
The B&Bs are now a livelihood source for the GK villagers who are paid for cleaning, cooking and other hospitality services. All profits go to the GK Fund.
(Offstage, the governor disclosed another future source of income for his GK villagers: bus stop cafés to be put up along the highway where there are GK communities.)
CEO mentality
“I discovered genuine public service through Gawad Kalinga,” the multiawarded Villafuerte told his audience.
After his talk, people approached him to commend him, some saying they had made donations to GK villages in CamSur. This was confirmed by Meloto, who said that among the provinces, CamSur had drawn the most number of donors for GK communities.
“Because people can see immediate results, we get more volunteers, corporate donors and partners from abroad who want to invest in CamSur,” Meloto told the Inquirer. “LRay gets things done because he has the CEO mentality. We need young leaders like him who are visionaries and will be able to get the project off the ground.”
A business graduate of De La Salle University, Villafuerte was running a flourishing export business with his wife Lara before he ran for governor and took over from his father, Luis Sr. (with whom he has had a publicly known feud).
Villafuerte is only one of 28 governors who have teamed up with GK. Meloto welcomes help from elected and Cabinet officials “without judgment, as long as they adhere to our standards of integrity, transparency and accountability.”
Besides donating land, government leaders help solve problems relating to taxes, road access and water supply for the developments.
Mayors et al.
Over 400 mayors have joined GK, some of whom were invited to Boston to showcase the transformations of their towns and cities.
Parañaque Mayor Jun Bernabe is only on his second term but already has 26 GK villages in his city. Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who is relocating 300 families from his turf to a 3.2-hectare property in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, promised free college education to their children. Freddy Tinga, Taguig’s young mayor, presented slides showing GK communities with lofts and landscaping. If CamSur is the GK Designer Province, Taguig, with 20 GK villages, is the GK Designer City.
Even national officials showed up in Boston.
Vice President Noli de Castro, who keynoted the GK Summit, is responsible for the government’s housing agencies and has partnered with GK for the relocation of “informal settlers” along railroad tracks and in six provinces.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a GK partner since 2001, is the first senator to donate GK villages in 16 provinces through his countryside development fund. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, head of the Senate’s housing committee, has continued to work with GK alongside his father, Bukidnon Gov. Joe Zubiri, so that today there are GK villages in 16 towns in their province.
The audience did not scoff but soaked in the good news, took note of the good deeds, and trusted in the wisdom of Meloto’s words: “When the private sector gets to engage government in an honest way for the benefit of our citizens, we call it kalinga politics—the politics of caring.”
As Villafuerte himself said, “Gawad Kalinga is good politics.”
source
This is good news. Local government should be involved in building communities for the poor.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
GOODBYE GUTOM!
by: Marjorie Ann Duterte
Gawad Kalinga and the Department of Agriculture have joined forces to eradicate hunger in the Philippines while engaging the GK communities, local government, schools and private individuals.
The multi-sectoral effort to address hunger comes in response to the disturbing report that the problem of hunger in the Philippines remains high with 15% of families experiencing involuntary hunger according to the Social Weather Stations Q1 2009 report despite the abundance of natural resources in the country.
Last March 28, 2009, GK and the Agriculture department officially launched Bayan-anihan (BA), the food-sufficiency program of Gawad Kalinga which aims to remove hunger by empowering families to produce their own food for their own consumption. The program seeks to launch 2,500 farms in the next 3 years to feed at least 500,000 people for life.
A planting ceremony was held at GK Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Village in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija attended by DA Secretary Arthur Yap, Bayan-anihan champion John Concepcion, San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, Globe Telecom Community Relations director Jeffrey Tarayao, Central Luzon State University president Dr. Ruben Sevilla, GK chairman Joe Tale and nation-builder Tony Meloto, who along with other leaders and volunteers declared the fight against hunger, Goodbye Gutom!
“Today, we start planting the very first seeds of hope,” said BA champion John Concepcion. The D-day also signaled the start of the first batch of 115 Bayan-anihan sites to rise all over Luzon. A simultaneous planting of vegetable farms called “Sabayng Pagtatanim” happened on the same day in over 100 GK sites all over Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Mimaropa.
Participants were provided with their vegetable seeds and seedlings, fruit seedlings, weighing scales and organic fertilizers. Each vegetable-growing site was at least 10 square meters for each family with adequate freshwater source. Open pollinated seed varieties were used to allow replanting of new produce. The types of vegetables planted were grouped according to a “recipe mix”, like selections used in pinakbet and sinigang, which are local Filipino dishes.
“Our targets are big and bold, because the problem of hunger is big,” added Concepcion, emphasizing that the solution to the problem is a multi-sectoral effort from the government, schools, and private sectors. For their part, the Central Luzon State University whose expertise is in the area of agriculture, gave their staunch commitment to distilling their knowledge and expertise to GK communities.
“Sa ating sama-samang pagtutulungan, atin pong masusugpuan ang kagutuman sa ating bayan,” said Dr. Sevilla, president of CLSU.(Through our united efforts, we can solve the problem of hunger in our country.) A series of training programs about backyard gardening and community farming were already given in February to the GK residents. Education and empowerment seminars for the youth are also in progress through a planned youth movement campaign in June to ensure sustainability.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap noted that the launching of Bayan-anihan in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija was very appropriate as the town is known for being the first to start the fight against oppression during the Spanish colonization.
“Mag-uumpisa tayo ngayon ng himagsikan laban sa gutom….Isang regalo ng henerasyon na ito para sa susunod na henerasyon,” he said. (Today, we start a revolution against hunger. This is a gift of our generation to the next generation.)
GK chairman Joe Tale encouraged the participants to be heroes to one another. “Ito pong pagsasama-sama, ito po ang solusyon,” he said. (Our working together, this is the solution.)
“This is the spirit that should unite us, that will help us rise over our tribalties, to help unite the Filipino people,” GK champion Tony Meloto affirmed.
“This is the tragedy of our times. Ang mga may-ari ng lupa nasa abroad, pero maraming nagugutom,” he noted. (The owners of the land are abroad, but many are hungry.)There is no reason why the Filipino should be hungry in this country,” he said as he explained the economics of Bayan-anihan, the economics of sharing.
“It is for the Filipino to discover his innate capacity to be a productive citizen. Every Filipino has his own genius,” he affirmed.
GK Bayan-anihan program seeks to impart the culture of productivity by ensuring food security and generating livelihood opportunities for hunger-prone families. Through the development of a self-sufficiency program for people at the grassroots level, it hopes to encourage the community to supply their own food, and to continue this for the next generation.
With Bayan-anihan, the fruits of prosperity in a land of abundance will bear fruit in time especially for the poor who will never have to go hungry again.
(Editor’s Note: In the month of May 2009 alone, 2 months after Bayan-anihan was launched, 24 metric tons of vegetables were harvested from 115 GK Bayan-anihan farms. Goodbye Gutom Pilipinas!)
source
Who will help each other but each one of us filipinos!
Gawad Kalinga and the Department of Agriculture have joined forces to eradicate hunger in the Philippines while engaging the GK communities, local government, schools and private individuals.
The multi-sectoral effort to address hunger comes in response to the disturbing report that the problem of hunger in the Philippines remains high with 15% of families experiencing involuntary hunger according to the Social Weather Stations Q1 2009 report despite the abundance of natural resources in the country.
Last March 28, 2009, GK and the Agriculture department officially launched Bayan-anihan (BA), the food-sufficiency program of Gawad Kalinga which aims to remove hunger by empowering families to produce their own food for their own consumption. The program seeks to launch 2,500 farms in the next 3 years to feed at least 500,000 people for life.
A planting ceremony was held at GK Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Village in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija attended by DA Secretary Arthur Yap, Bayan-anihan champion John Concepcion, San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, Globe Telecom Community Relations director Jeffrey Tarayao, Central Luzon State University president Dr. Ruben Sevilla, GK chairman Joe Tale and nation-builder Tony Meloto, who along with other leaders and volunteers declared the fight against hunger, Goodbye Gutom!
“Today, we start planting the very first seeds of hope,” said BA champion John Concepcion. The D-day also signaled the start of the first batch of 115 Bayan-anihan sites to rise all over Luzon. A simultaneous planting of vegetable farms called “Sabayng Pagtatanim” happened on the same day in over 100 GK sites all over Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Mimaropa.
Participants were provided with their vegetable seeds and seedlings, fruit seedlings, weighing scales and organic fertilizers. Each vegetable-growing site was at least 10 square meters for each family with adequate freshwater source. Open pollinated seed varieties were used to allow replanting of new produce. The types of vegetables planted were grouped according to a “recipe mix”, like selections used in pinakbet and sinigang, which are local Filipino dishes.
“Our targets are big and bold, because the problem of hunger is big,” added Concepcion, emphasizing that the solution to the problem is a multi-sectoral effort from the government, schools, and private sectors. For their part, the Central Luzon State University whose expertise is in the area of agriculture, gave their staunch commitment to distilling their knowledge and expertise to GK communities.
“Sa ating sama-samang pagtutulungan, atin pong masusugpuan ang kagutuman sa ating bayan,” said Dr. Sevilla, president of CLSU.(Through our united efforts, we can solve the problem of hunger in our country.) A series of training programs about backyard gardening and community farming were already given in February to the GK residents. Education and empowerment seminars for the youth are also in progress through a planned youth movement campaign in June to ensure sustainability.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap noted that the launching of Bayan-anihan in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija was very appropriate as the town is known for being the first to start the fight against oppression during the Spanish colonization.
“Mag-uumpisa tayo ngayon ng himagsikan laban sa gutom….Isang regalo ng henerasyon na ito para sa susunod na henerasyon,” he said. (Today, we start a revolution against hunger. This is a gift of our generation to the next generation.)
GK chairman Joe Tale encouraged the participants to be heroes to one another. “Ito pong pagsasama-sama, ito po ang solusyon,” he said. (Our working together, this is the solution.)
“This is the spirit that should unite us, that will help us rise over our tribalties, to help unite the Filipino people,” GK champion Tony Meloto affirmed.
“This is the tragedy of our times. Ang mga may-ari ng lupa nasa abroad, pero maraming nagugutom,” he noted. (The owners of the land are abroad, but many are hungry.)There is no reason why the Filipino should be hungry in this country,” he said as he explained the economics of Bayan-anihan, the economics of sharing.
“It is for the Filipino to discover his innate capacity to be a productive citizen. Every Filipino has his own genius,” he affirmed.
GK Bayan-anihan program seeks to impart the culture of productivity by ensuring food security and generating livelihood opportunities for hunger-prone families. Through the development of a self-sufficiency program for people at the grassroots level, it hopes to encourage the community to supply their own food, and to continue this for the next generation.
With Bayan-anihan, the fruits of prosperity in a land of abundance will bear fruit in time especially for the poor who will never have to go hungry again.
(Editor’s Note: In the month of May 2009 alone, 2 months after Bayan-anihan was launched, 24 metric tons of vegetables were harvested from 115 GK Bayan-anihan farms. Goodbye Gutom Pilipinas!)
source
Who will help each other but each one of us filipinos!
GK'S FOOD SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM TO BE FORMALLY LAUNCHED THIS JULY
by: Bayan-anihan Team 7/1/2009
A Chinese philosopher once said, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.”
The same concept is the inspiration behind Bayan-anihan—Gawad Kalinga’s (GK) food sufficiency arm, which was established to eradicate hunger by empowering poor families to produce their own food via backyard or organic farming. It advocates for a hunger-free Philippines under the battlecry, “Goodbye Gutom! Empower the poor. Eradicate hunger.”
As its main objective, Bayan-anihan aims to plant 2,500 farms in the next three years to feed at least 500,000 people for life with the aid of multi-sectoral partnership among GK and the Department of Agriculture (DA), agricultural schools, local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), major corporations and the youth.
During its soft launch last March, a ceremonial planting day was held simultaneously in GK communities all over Luzon— including Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog.
Two months since its first planting day/soft launch, 24 metric tons have already been harvested from 115 GK-BA farms. This bountiful yield serves as a great opportunity to celebrate Bayan-anihan’s formal launch to the public on July 15 with a big ceremonial harvest. At the same time, it signals the beginning of the nationwide fight against starvation in the country through its upcoming activities and programs.
On this day, the official Bayan-anihan song and website will be unveiled, and there will be speeches by Sec. Arthur Yap, Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mr. Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Executive Director, and Mr. John Concepcion, Unilever RFM Ice Cream – Selecta Managing Director and CEO. A parade of vegetables and fruits will be staged by the Gawad Kalinga community, and outstanding Bayan-anihan caretaker farms will be honored.
Young adults, teens, and children can play games, while the adults will have a cooking session using the harvested vegetables. As a fitting end to the ceremonial harvest day, delicious and nutritious meals made with the harvested vegetables will be shared by everyone.
Since this is a multi-sectoral movement, the government, schools, corporations and individuals, NGOs or LGUs, and the youth can be involved in several ways.
The government can help out by providing infrastructure and funds for farm inputs. Schools can make training programs as part of the curriculum for faculty and students and can even train the community people as their practicum. Any corporation or individual, on the other hand, can sponsor or adopt a farm for P150,000, which will be enough to feed 30 families. They can also participate during planting days, salu-salos, and other activities. NGOs and LGUs can implement this program in their communities in the Bayan-anihan way.
Lastly, the youth can lend a hand by training the community or by being one with the community through the planting and harvesting activities. With the youth’s help, the poor will never have to go hungry again, and it will be sustained for the next generation.
By supporting Bayan-anihan, everyone can develop and polish values like self-worth, hard work, excellence, bayanihan (spirit of teamwork), and care for health and the environment.
Through efforts like this, the seeds of hope are planted in the hearts of many Filipinos. For sure, we can anticipate a prosperous and a food-abundant Philippines in the future.
Join Bayan-anihan and call the Bayan-anihan hotline at 09284382838 or visit the website, http://bayan-anihan.com to do your part in helping Pinoys bid farewell to hunger!
source
Yes I encourage readers! Let's do our part to help our countrymen bid goodbye to hunger, slums, violence and poverty!
A Chinese philosopher once said, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.”
The same concept is the inspiration behind Bayan-anihan—Gawad Kalinga’s (GK) food sufficiency arm, which was established to eradicate hunger by empowering poor families to produce their own food via backyard or organic farming. It advocates for a hunger-free Philippines under the battlecry, “Goodbye Gutom! Empower the poor. Eradicate hunger.”
As its main objective, Bayan-anihan aims to plant 2,500 farms in the next three years to feed at least 500,000 people for life with the aid of multi-sectoral partnership among GK and the Department of Agriculture (DA), agricultural schools, local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), major corporations and the youth.
During its soft launch last March, a ceremonial planting day was held simultaneously in GK communities all over Luzon— including Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog.
Two months since its first planting day/soft launch, 24 metric tons have already been harvested from 115 GK-BA farms. This bountiful yield serves as a great opportunity to celebrate Bayan-anihan’s formal launch to the public on July 15 with a big ceremonial harvest. At the same time, it signals the beginning of the nationwide fight against starvation in the country through its upcoming activities and programs.
On this day, the official Bayan-anihan song and website will be unveiled, and there will be speeches by Sec. Arthur Yap, Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mr. Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga Executive Director, and Mr. John Concepcion, Unilever RFM Ice Cream – Selecta Managing Director and CEO. A parade of vegetables and fruits will be staged by the Gawad Kalinga community, and outstanding Bayan-anihan caretaker farms will be honored.
Young adults, teens, and children can play games, while the adults will have a cooking session using the harvested vegetables. As a fitting end to the ceremonial harvest day, delicious and nutritious meals made with the harvested vegetables will be shared by everyone.
Since this is a multi-sectoral movement, the government, schools, corporations and individuals, NGOs or LGUs, and the youth can be involved in several ways.
The government can help out by providing infrastructure and funds for farm inputs. Schools can make training programs as part of the curriculum for faculty and students and can even train the community people as their practicum. Any corporation or individual, on the other hand, can sponsor or adopt a farm for P150,000, which will be enough to feed 30 families. They can also participate during planting days, salu-salos, and other activities. NGOs and LGUs can implement this program in their communities in the Bayan-anihan way.
Lastly, the youth can lend a hand by training the community or by being one with the community through the planting and harvesting activities. With the youth’s help, the poor will never have to go hungry again, and it will be sustained for the next generation.
By supporting Bayan-anihan, everyone can develop and polish values like self-worth, hard work, excellence, bayanihan (spirit of teamwork), and care for health and the environment.
Through efforts like this, the seeds of hope are planted in the hearts of many Filipinos. For sure, we can anticipate a prosperous and a food-abundant Philippines in the future.
Join Bayan-anihan and call the Bayan-anihan hotline at 09284382838 or visit the website, http://bayan-anihan.com to do your part in helping Pinoys bid farewell to hunger!
source
Yes I encourage readers! Let's do our part to help our countrymen bid goodbye to hunger, slums, violence and poverty!
Gawad Kalinga Programs
Hereunder are GK programs which really supports the "no more slums, no more violence and no more poverty" slogan:
Shelter & Site Development
Through TATAG, GK builds colorful, durable and secure homes for the poorest of the poor. TATAG in the Filipino language means “to build” or “to establish.”
The program also provides other physical structures such as pathwalks and drainage systems, water and toilet facilities, a school, a livelihood center, a multi-purpose hall and a clinic. In some areas, other structures such as basketball courts and libraries are also constructed once basic infrastructure needs are set up.
Child & Youth Development
GK provides value based education for pre-school children, aged 3 to 6 years old through its program called SIBOL, which means “to grow” in the Filipino language.
GK provides a support program for street children of elementary age, from 7 to 13 years old. They are provided with academic tutorials, sports and creative workshops as well as a very solid values formation program through a program called SAGIP, which means “to save a life” in the Filipino language.
Through the SIGA program, scholarships are provided to those with the mental aptitude to pursue higher education. There is also a strong youth rehabilitation program where juvenile delinquents are provided with a range of activities and counseling sessions to help them live productive lives without committing them to rehab institutions. They are then integrated into the social mainstream and are eventually gainfully employed. SIGA in the Filipino language means “to light.”
Health
LUSOG, meaning “healthy” in Filipino, is GK’s program for community health care. The health profile of every family in a GK community is carefully monitored by a volunteer team of doctors and paramedical practitioners; most GK areas now have a clinic. Malnutrition especially among children is addressed and arrested not just through feeding programs but also through parent education regarding proper nutrition and hygiene
Productivity
Through GAWAD KABUHAYAN (translated to “to give livelihood” in Filipino), GK conducts livelihood and skills training, provides start up capital and materials for microfinance and micro-enterprise, and assists in the marketing of the GK communities’ products. Food self sufficiency is highly encouraged by teaching technology for backyard farming, urban agriculture and poultry raising.
Even the very act of building homes and common facilities teaches new masonry and carpentry skills since the poor “pay” for their homes through “sweat equity” or by building their neighbor’s house side by side with the GK volunteers. This not only builds community spirit but also contributes to greater peace. After all, how can a GK Homeowner fight the neighbor who helped him build his house?
Values Formation/Community Empowerment
Every GK community is organized into a KAPITBAHAYAN Neighborhood Association, which is established to inculcate stewardship and ensure accountability, cooperation and unity. Guidelines for community living are decided upon by the members, and new leaders who espouse the values of the association start to emerge. Peace is achieved not by force, but by mutual adherence to an agreed set of values. This new culture is the key to the community’s sustainability, and sets the community on the road to self reliance.
Environment
Gawad Kalinga is pro-poor and pro-environment. We empower the poor to become caretakers of the environment instead of being its exploiters. GK teams are encouraged to plant fruit-bearing trees in and around GK communities and produce seedlings for tree-planting. We also educate the poor in solid waste management in partnership with environment groups and government agencies who provide their expertise and resources in these projects. Finally, GK communities are provided with clean, potable water for consumption and cleaning as a response to providing total quality of life for the poor.
Mabuhay
Our communities showcase the best of the Filipino--warmth, hospitality, and the many colors and dimensions of our rich culture. We aim to make every GK Village a tourist spot showcasing the inherent charm and uniqueness of each community. The beauty of the Philippines lies not only in its natural resources but in the triumph of our people against poverty and oppression. Inspiring stories are well told in the vibrant smiles and shinging eyes of our residents in our GK communities.
Visitors are welcomed by happy residents of our GK communities, proud of their homes, grateful for their blessings and hopeful for the future. GK is introducing performance arts such as painting and sculpture and literature to the communities to strengthen teh Filipino identity and to make the GK residents proud of their roots.
source
Shelter & Site Development
Through TATAG, GK builds colorful, durable and secure homes for the poorest of the poor. TATAG in the Filipino language means “to build” or “to establish.”
The program also provides other physical structures such as pathwalks and drainage systems, water and toilet facilities, a school, a livelihood center, a multi-purpose hall and a clinic. In some areas, other structures such as basketball courts and libraries are also constructed once basic infrastructure needs are set up.
Child & Youth Development
GK provides value based education for pre-school children, aged 3 to 6 years old through its program called SIBOL, which means “to grow” in the Filipino language.
GK provides a support program for street children of elementary age, from 7 to 13 years old. They are provided with academic tutorials, sports and creative workshops as well as a very solid values formation program through a program called SAGIP, which means “to save a life” in the Filipino language.
Through the SIGA program, scholarships are provided to those with the mental aptitude to pursue higher education. There is also a strong youth rehabilitation program where juvenile delinquents are provided with a range of activities and counseling sessions to help them live productive lives without committing them to rehab institutions. They are then integrated into the social mainstream and are eventually gainfully employed. SIGA in the Filipino language means “to light.”
Health
LUSOG, meaning “healthy” in Filipino, is GK’s program for community health care. The health profile of every family in a GK community is carefully monitored by a volunteer team of doctors and paramedical practitioners; most GK areas now have a clinic. Malnutrition especially among children is addressed and arrested not just through feeding programs but also through parent education regarding proper nutrition and hygiene
Productivity
Through GAWAD KABUHAYAN (translated to “to give livelihood” in Filipino), GK conducts livelihood and skills training, provides start up capital and materials for microfinance and micro-enterprise, and assists in the marketing of the GK communities’ products. Food self sufficiency is highly encouraged by teaching technology for backyard farming, urban agriculture and poultry raising.
Even the very act of building homes and common facilities teaches new masonry and carpentry skills since the poor “pay” for their homes through “sweat equity” or by building their neighbor’s house side by side with the GK volunteers. This not only builds community spirit but also contributes to greater peace. After all, how can a GK Homeowner fight the neighbor who helped him build his house?
Values Formation/Community Empowerment
Every GK community is organized into a KAPITBAHAYAN Neighborhood Association, which is established to inculcate stewardship and ensure accountability, cooperation and unity. Guidelines for community living are decided upon by the members, and new leaders who espouse the values of the association start to emerge. Peace is achieved not by force, but by mutual adherence to an agreed set of values. This new culture is the key to the community’s sustainability, and sets the community on the road to self reliance.
Environment
Gawad Kalinga is pro-poor and pro-environment. We empower the poor to become caretakers of the environment instead of being its exploiters. GK teams are encouraged to plant fruit-bearing trees in and around GK communities and produce seedlings for tree-planting. We also educate the poor in solid waste management in partnership with environment groups and government agencies who provide their expertise and resources in these projects. Finally, GK communities are provided with clean, potable water for consumption and cleaning as a response to providing total quality of life for the poor.
Mabuhay
Our communities showcase the best of the Filipino--warmth, hospitality, and the many colors and dimensions of our rich culture. We aim to make every GK Village a tourist spot showcasing the inherent charm and uniqueness of each community. The beauty of the Philippines lies not only in its natural resources but in the triumph of our people against poverty and oppression. Inspiring stories are well told in the vibrant smiles and shinging eyes of our residents in our GK communities.
Visitors are welcomed by happy residents of our GK communities, proud of their homes, grateful for their blessings and hopeful for the future. GK is introducing performance arts such as painting and sculpture and literature to the communities to strengthen teh Filipino identity and to make the GK residents proud of their roots.
source
Gawad Kalinga Values
“Bayanihan” – Becoming a Hero to Each Other
Everything we do begins with stewardship and moves towards community empowerment. The crucial starting point is the appointment of a caretaker team – a group of volunteers committed to visit the community to educate and train but more importantly to build relationships with the residents and learn with them. The hand-holding stage of relationship-building, values formation and skills training is absolutely necessary to help the community become independent and sustainable. GK addresses the root cause of poverty – not simply the absence of money but an absence of shared values, sense of community and higher purpose.
Massive Mobilization: GK Partners & Volunteers
GK begins with ‘padugo’- or ‘to bleed for the cause.’ This means devoting one’s own time and resources to initiate work within the community without expecting outside funding or support. Architects and engineers design houses, doctors and nurses attend to community health care, teachers share knowledge to the young, and business leaders become mentors for economic enterprises. Rich and poor, Christians and Muslims, government and private sector, first world and third world nations can work together to uplift the quality of life of the poor, contribute to prosperity and peace to the larger society. Funds will help upscale and expand the work, but our starting point is the heart, not the pocket.
Patriotism in Action
Gawad Kalinga is not just a work with the poor but more importantly a work of nation building from a simple but daring CFC initiative to a growing multi-sectoral partnership driven by the same spirit and vision --- a new Philippines with NO MORE SLUMS.
The problem of poverty is huge but not without end. Since it is man-made, it can also be man-Unmade. In a world where there is enough resources for all but not enough sharing for all, our motto is “less for self, more for others, enough for all.” This country has struggled with poverty long enough. Together, we can bring this country out of poverty by restoring dignity of the poorest Filipinos and motivating them to help themselves and one another.
source
These are all noble values in nation building!
Everything we do begins with stewardship and moves towards community empowerment. The crucial starting point is the appointment of a caretaker team – a group of volunteers committed to visit the community to educate and train but more importantly to build relationships with the residents and learn with them. The hand-holding stage of relationship-building, values formation and skills training is absolutely necessary to help the community become independent and sustainable. GK addresses the root cause of poverty – not simply the absence of money but an absence of shared values, sense of community and higher purpose.
Massive Mobilization: GK Partners & Volunteers
GK begins with ‘padugo’- or ‘to bleed for the cause.’ This means devoting one’s own time and resources to initiate work within the community without expecting outside funding or support. Architects and engineers design houses, doctors and nurses attend to community health care, teachers share knowledge to the young, and business leaders become mentors for economic enterprises. Rich and poor, Christians and Muslims, government and private sector, first world and third world nations can work together to uplift the quality of life of the poor, contribute to prosperity and peace to the larger society. Funds will help upscale and expand the work, but our starting point is the heart, not the pocket.
Patriotism in Action
Gawad Kalinga is not just a work with the poor but more importantly a work of nation building from a simple but daring CFC initiative to a growing multi-sectoral partnership driven by the same spirit and vision --- a new Philippines with NO MORE SLUMS.
The problem of poverty is huge but not without end. Since it is man-made, it can also be man-Unmade. In a world where there is enough resources for all but not enough sharing for all, our motto is “less for self, more for others, enough for all.” This country has struggled with poverty long enough. Together, we can bring this country out of poverty by restoring dignity of the poorest Filipinos and motivating them to help themselves and one another.
source
These are all noble values in nation building!
History of Gawad Kalinga
Gawad Kalinga came about in obedience to seek deeper expressions of holiness by loving the poor and to seek a new path towards self-discovery as a Filipino by finding our dignity and pride as a people within the country.
This journey began in Bagong Silang with a group of people who sought to find answers to 1) why Filipinos who are naturally gifted and hard working are poor 2) why those born in slum communities have difficulty in getting out of poverty and 3) why gentle Filipinos become criminals when brought up in slum communities.
1995
The work started with the juvenile gangs of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, one of the biggest slums in Metro Manila, who attended a youth camp in Dec 26, 1995 conducted by Couples for Christ, a Catholic lay community. Among the participants were some of the most notorious gang members in the area. But at the end of the 3 day camp, the sincerity of service team prevailed over the hardened youth. In 5 years, programs for theatre, sports, livelihood training and scholarships were introduced to rehabilitate the youth. But the team soon realized that it cannot change the slum behavior unless there is transformation of the slum environment.
1996-1999
The different programs of GK, then called Ancop, evolved as a response to the insight that the young have very slim chances of succeeding even with access to scholarship opportunities unless their whole community is transformed – land for the landless, homes for the homeless and food for the hungry. A holistic approach guided the setting up of the shelter (TATAG), child & youth development (SIBOL for pre-school children, SAGIP for school age children and SIGA for teenagers), health (LUSOG) and livelihood (SIKAP) programs that were the beginnings of Gawad Kalinga’s key programs. The very first Gawad Kalinga house was built for the Adduro family in Bagong Silang.
2000
A contest was launched among the Couples for Christ community to discover whether the transformation that was happening in Bagong Silang could also be replicated in other areas. The contest was named Gawad Kalinga, which means “to give care” or “an award for caring”. The first 30 Gawad Kalinga communities were established as a result of the nation-wide search for an outstanding community transformation.
2002
In February 2002, the first ever Gawad Kalinga community build was conducted in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental where members of Singles for Christ built 16 houses in just one weekend. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was a guest of honor during the build and was so impressed by the effort that she gave a 30 million peso grant to build 1,000 houses; at that time GK had built only less than 1,000 homes. Gawad Kalinga not only built the 1,000 houses in a year’s time but they also built another 1,000 houses as a counterpart to the president’s grant.
2003
The vision of building 700,000 homes, in 7,000 communities in 7 years was launched on October 4, 2003 during the first GK Expo at Fort Bonifacio where a crowd of 40,000 people gathered to rally the Filipinos to be a hero for their country – Bawat Pilipino Bayani!
2004
Local and multi-national corporations began to engage with Gawad Kalinga propelling the movement into a massive scale. Rival corporations such as the top two telecom companies in the Philippnes, SMART and GLOBE (link to article on SMART & GLOBE), began to engage with GK to build communities giving credibility to GK’s message of business going beyond their corporate responsibility programs. The second GK Expo was held at the Fort with 100,000 GK volunteers in attendance.
2005
Gawad Kalinga responds to the need for rehabilitation in disaster hit areas through Kalinga Luzon by partnering with the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Social Welfare & Development and local government units in providing 40,000 homes for typhoon victims. Kalinga Luzon becomes a template for going beyond relief operations in Kalinga Leyte and other calamity areas. The Kalinga Luzon formula led partnerships with over 200 local government units across the country. GK also launches GK 1MB (Isang Milyong Bayani or one million heroes), the urgent call for massive volunteerism in GK communities where ordinary citizens are asked to render at least 4 hours a month in community service.
2006
GK launches its key programs for productivity called GK BAYAN-ANIHAN and promoting the communities as tourist spots through GK MABUHAY.
source
I believe GK will go on and on because of its good programs and values.
This journey began in Bagong Silang with a group of people who sought to find answers to 1) why Filipinos who are naturally gifted and hard working are poor 2) why those born in slum communities have difficulty in getting out of poverty and 3) why gentle Filipinos become criminals when brought up in slum communities.
1995
The work started with the juvenile gangs of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, one of the biggest slums in Metro Manila, who attended a youth camp in Dec 26, 1995 conducted by Couples for Christ, a Catholic lay community. Among the participants were some of the most notorious gang members in the area. But at the end of the 3 day camp, the sincerity of service team prevailed over the hardened youth. In 5 years, programs for theatre, sports, livelihood training and scholarships were introduced to rehabilitate the youth. But the team soon realized that it cannot change the slum behavior unless there is transformation of the slum environment.
1996-1999
The different programs of GK, then called Ancop, evolved as a response to the insight that the young have very slim chances of succeeding even with access to scholarship opportunities unless their whole community is transformed – land for the landless, homes for the homeless and food for the hungry. A holistic approach guided the setting up of the shelter (TATAG), child & youth development (SIBOL for pre-school children, SAGIP for school age children and SIGA for teenagers), health (LUSOG) and livelihood (SIKAP) programs that were the beginnings of Gawad Kalinga’s key programs. The very first Gawad Kalinga house was built for the Adduro family in Bagong Silang.
2000
A contest was launched among the Couples for Christ community to discover whether the transformation that was happening in Bagong Silang could also be replicated in other areas. The contest was named Gawad Kalinga, which means “to give care” or “an award for caring”. The first 30 Gawad Kalinga communities were established as a result of the nation-wide search for an outstanding community transformation.
2002
In February 2002, the first ever Gawad Kalinga community build was conducted in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental where members of Singles for Christ built 16 houses in just one weekend. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was a guest of honor during the build and was so impressed by the effort that she gave a 30 million peso grant to build 1,000 houses; at that time GK had built only less than 1,000 homes. Gawad Kalinga not only built the 1,000 houses in a year’s time but they also built another 1,000 houses as a counterpart to the president’s grant.
2003
The vision of building 700,000 homes, in 7,000 communities in 7 years was launched on October 4, 2003 during the first GK Expo at Fort Bonifacio where a crowd of 40,000 people gathered to rally the Filipinos to be a hero for their country – Bawat Pilipino Bayani!
2004
Local and multi-national corporations began to engage with Gawad Kalinga propelling the movement into a massive scale. Rival corporations such as the top two telecom companies in the Philippnes, SMART and GLOBE (link to article on SMART & GLOBE), began to engage with GK to build communities giving credibility to GK’s message of business going beyond their corporate responsibility programs. The second GK Expo was held at the Fort with 100,000 GK volunteers in attendance.
2005
Gawad Kalinga responds to the need for rehabilitation in disaster hit areas through Kalinga Luzon by partnering with the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Department of Social Welfare & Development and local government units in providing 40,000 homes for typhoon victims. Kalinga Luzon becomes a template for going beyond relief operations in Kalinga Leyte and other calamity areas. The Kalinga Luzon formula led partnerships with over 200 local government units across the country. GK also launches GK 1MB (Isang Milyong Bayani or one million heroes), the urgent call for massive volunteerism in GK communities where ordinary citizens are asked to render at least 4 hours a month in community service.
2006
GK launches its key programs for productivity called GK BAYAN-ANIHAN and promoting the communities as tourist spots through GK MABUHAY.
source
I believe GK will go on and on because of its good programs and values.
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