Difficulty in waking up early on weekends is something millennials can all relate to. It's really a tough challenge. What makes it tougher, for me at least, is traveling approximately 30 kilometers daily to go to work. But what drives me to do all these stuff? It's my passion to serve the country and the Filipinos. And one way of showing my patriotism is helping the children, especially those who belong to minority groups.
That's the very reason why I joined Project GypSEAS, and never did I think of regret joining it.
Project GypSEAS is a sustainable development project that aims to help the Sama Dilaut (People of the Sea) Community in Rainbow Community, Matina Aplaya, Davao City, Philippines popularly known as Badjao Community to create an access to secure, empowered, and sustainable community through monthly programs on Health, Nutrition, and Sanitation, Livelihood, Food Security, Empowerment, Sports, Education and Environmental Protection.
The year-long project was launched last August 2017 and we are the pioneering volunteer educators who were immersed in the community. We were tasked to teach the children "Wellness," which includes Proper Hygiene and Waste Disposal.
In reaching the goal, Cycle 1 group did the following steps:
A. Taught various effective mechanisms in promoting proper hygiene and solid waste management;
B. Used engaging instructional materials (e.g flash cards, visual aids, etc.) and realia (e.g. empty bottles of shampoo, toothpaste, etc.); and
C. Created fun activities that helped strengthen and retain the knowledge imparted to the Sama Dilaut learners (e.g. trashketball, etc.).
 |
| Rainbow community. Colorful houses, right? |
Below are the following activities that we've done so far in the community.
Week 1: September 9, 2017
Successfully launched Happy Fish Kids and Project GypSEAS with this bunch of lively Sama Dilaut kids at Rainbow Community.
 |
| These kids know how to do the Oppa pose! Amazing! |
During the launching, the volunteers introduced the year-long community project with various topics - wellness, environment, economic empowerment, and human rights, among others, which were divided into cycles. Various fun activities and exciting games were also conducted.
Week 2: September 16, 2017
Project GypSEAS and Rotary Club of Davao, in partnership with Davao Filipino Chinese Charitable Association, Incorporated conducted its first ever Medical Mission at the Rainbow Community of Matina Aplaya, Davao City.
 |
| Thank you, partners! |
 |
| Friends in action! Kath and Dun are repacking the hygiene kits to be distributed. #NeverTooYoungToLead, I guess? Hehe. |
 |
| Teaching the kids the proper way to toothbrush. |
 |
| Oppa! Hehehehe. Korean time with the Sama kids! :) |
Various medical activities, including general medical and dental check-ups, were conducted by our partner institutions. Feeding program and support was also conducted to help fight malnutrition, especially on children. Hygiene and sanitary kits were also distributed per household.
Week 3 and 4: September 30, 2017
 |
| Shy si baby! Hehehe. |
 |
| It's quiz time! Asking kids questions based on what they have learned from the lecture. |
 |
| You know the drill! Oppa time! Hehehe. |
Proper Hygiene and Solid Waste Management activities for the benefit of Sama Dilaut kids were successfully conducted by Cycle 1 volunteers.
The kids learned about proper hygiene and its importance to the body. Cycle 1 volunteers started with a lecture introducing the importance of using soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush, nail cutter and comb, through creative storytelling. It’s then followed up with a fun activity that helps retain the knowledge imparted.
 |
| Attentive kids. God bless you, kiddos. :) |
The kids were also educated about solid waste management and its significance especially to the environment through a short lecture about biodegradable, non-biodegradable, recyclable and residual wastes. It was followed up with “trash-ketball”, an activity that simulates a typical basketball game while using trash as its “ball” and shooting it to its proper trash can.
 |
| Playtime! We played a game called "Iring ug Iro", a game in which one plays as a dog going after the other one who plays as a cat. |
 |
| Always at your service! #Cycle1 |
It's a great thing to engage yourself to a community. Aside from the fact that you will gain new sets of friends, you'll be able to know a community in a deeper sense. As what my favorite group, Fifth Harmony, stated in one of their songs, "we build bridges, not walls."
Comments
Post a Comment