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| Volunteer Corner Archives | |
The Two-Year Stint of Dr. Masako Inata It was December 2004 when the much awaited JOCV finally arrived in the person of Dr. Masako Inata aka, Mai-mai to us. she will help and assist our Dairy Development Program in the province of Oriental Negros for the next 2 years of her stay. The province through the office of the Provincial Veterinarian and led by our Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Antonio B. Mutia, has long envisioned to establish and sustain the Dairy Development Program to fight malnutrition of our school children and farm families in both the rural and urban areas of the province. Her arrival marks the start of this very challenging and highly potential Program to answer some of the most important issues of our people in the locality. Mai-mai's first year with us was a period of adjustment not only home, clothes, inter-relations with co-workers, language and other concerns but we were grateful that Dr. Inata didn't take these as major barriers for her to focus on the task laid ahead on her, her purpose of coming and sharing her life with us. It didn't take long for her to learn our native language, the Cebuano dialect, to adapt to the kind of food and beverage we shared, the clothes we wore during the different weathers in our place, the culture, the real situation of our farmers especially in the rural areas, their needs and dreams. She was polite and soft-spoken, readily expresses her thoughts, honest and frank. We could feel the desires of her heart, to help and share what she have to the Filipinos. Although her mobility to see the farmers regularly was a big problem at the start, she still tried to visit the farmers to get to know them better, to adapt to their ways. Of course, to learn the possibility and potentials of the Dairy Program in their most natural situation. Not only that, she also explored and study the potential of the Dairy Program in the different areas in the province as she traveled with the undersigned to assist in the establishment of the program and organizing and strengthening Dairy Farmers Associations. Meantime, she assisted in the conduct of Dairy Production by giving practical lectures and demonstrations in the City of Dumaguete where she is based. When a motorcycle arrived in the last quarter of 2005 to serve as her service vehicle, she immediately started mobilizing the dairy farmers, organized cattle and carabao raisers/farmers and more lectures on milk collection and processing were conducted. At first our farmers did not like the idea of collecting milk from their cows/caracows because they were afraid that the calves' growth be stunted and both the cow and the calves' health might be affected. The persistent visit and encouragement of the undersigned and Dr. Inata had finally convinced few farmers to consent and agree in the collection of milk from their cows and caracows. It's not only in the collection of milk and proper management of the cow and its calf that were instilled in our raisers but most importantly, by teaching them to process, drink and market the milk as an additional source of income of the family. In the process, we also experience several problems like in thee choice of the person to process/pasteurize the milk as we centralize the collection and pasteurization, the persons and resources of the persons assigned to collect the milk from each farmer, the materials/ingredients to use and in packing the milk for distribution and marketing, and in the collection of payments. We also resolved the problem of how much we should sell the milk so as to make it profitable to the farmers and yet still very affordable to our small clienteles, the school children. We are slowly and surely hitting the goals set from the start but the process is still long and hard but no longer as difficult when we started a year ago. The province has also strengthened this goal by creating and putting into an ordinance the Gatasang Barangay Program in PO # 6, Series of 2005. Literally, this means the Milk Production Program in the Barangay with our backyard farmer-raisers as the main characters, using their own cows as the source of the milk. They don't have to buy or avail of dairy animals but have to start with what they already have. Then they are being strengthened through seminars and demonstrations. The said ordinance was launched last Sept. 14, 2006 with the local officials of the entire province present. the ordinance may have been started just recently but the endeavors initiated by Dr. Inata and the undersigned which started earlier has done a lot of progress. More farmer-raisers were convinced and encouraged to join the program and we aim to cover the whole Metro Dumaguete area soon. We would like to attribute this progress to the natural charisma and diligence of Dr. Inata, who was always, persistent, patient and understanding of our farmer-raisers. She is also generous with her time, talent and resources. She initiate activities on her own without waiting to be told and has successfully accomplished them to name a few; the production of yoghurt of different flavors and consistency, packing of such, etc. Her good command of the dialect has helped her a lot and an important factor in making communication line always open. We learned a lot from Mai-mai and she too has learned a lot from her experience with the farmers and her co-workers. As much as we wanted to have her stay longer, our request for her extension was not granted. We know that we still have a lot to do in order to accomplish our goals and we hope to finish them, sustain the program, and answer the real problem of our people. In the end, we would like to make Mai-mai be proud of what she had started will not go in vain. by:
Jesus C. Libby Volunteer
Experience in Kiribati WHAT was the situation before the change? I worked in a regional project called Pacific Skills Link (PSL) funded by the European Commission with a total budget of over two million euros. PSL contributes to the goal of reducing the poverty of opportunity and vulnerability of three Pacific Island countries (Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) by empowering disadvantaged communities to meet their livelihood needs. It does this by building the organizational, managerial, technical and financial capacity of NGOs and community-based organizations. I joined the team in early 2004 together with a local Project Officer who was recruited a month before I arrive. So both of us are "new" in the project, but she has the advantage of knowing well the people and the culture. I choose to share the story about working together with local staff as the most significant change story in my two years stay in Kiribati. Abana Leremia holds a degree in Social Work, and has a one-year work experience with the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs working with Juvenile Delinquents. For the first three months while we were doing courtesy call to various government agencies, donors and even during the visits to NGOs and CBOs to accomplish an NGO profile, she feels shy and oftentimes she would let me do the interview. I would say that her level of confidence is low, which was also seen by the acting PSL Regional Coordinator that time when she visited Kiribati in March 2004. In meetings and discussions, though she has ideas, she holds back to express them. In addition, her knowledge about the whole process of Project cycle and other areas like facilitation, networking skills, budget preparation and report writing need to be enhanced. It is imperative that she learns or be better equipped with these skills to effectively and efficiently perform her role as a Project Officer. WHAT
has changed that VSO has contributed to? Now Abana has build up her confidence-she speaks up her mind during regular meetings and planning activities. She is confident to meet with Donors, key Government and NGO people and other visitors who come to KANGO office. She can also deliver training on her own, design session guides and program, her report writing and documentation skills have noticeably improved. Abana has also developed a very good interpersonal relationship with the NGOs and applies community development principles. She does not hesitate to volunteer and take on other responsibilities beyond her usual responsibilities. All these changed and improvement are noticed by the NGO leaders, AMAK president, some donors, PSL Co-ordinator and external evaluator for the Final evaluation of the PSL project. Lastly, she now takes the initiative to learn new skills to further improve and add on to her existing skills to better perform in her new position as a Deputy to the KANGO Co-ordinator in charge of NGO Development and eventually provide better service to the NGO community in Kiribati. HOW
did the change happen? The change happened gradually. In the beginning, the volunteer has to take on the lead in most of the activities but at the same time she is conscious to involve and explain all the process to the Project Officer and even invite questions on anything that the Project Officer finds unclear or vague. We have identified the skills the project officer needs to enhance/learn and other interests she wants to pursue and we periodically update/feedback to each other how the level of confidence and efficiency on a particular skill. The project officer and the volunteer even allotted regular time and day to discuss a topic, but this was not religiously followed due to other work that we both need to do, so we just maximize the time whenever we go on fieldwork and during free hours when conducting workshops. We informally discuss the needed skills and other practical tips, or sometimes we also do it formally after our regular meetings and when we meet to discuss our training modules and activities. Having open communications, tolerance, respect, tact and flexibility helped a lot to achieve a harmonious and productive working relationship. In addition, use of encouraging words, praise and constructive criticism and feedback both helped the project officer and the volunteer. It was a combination of developing soft (facilitation, confidence, power dressing, etc.) and hard skills (report writing, training delivery, budget preparation, etc.) and being a role model in all of these. We also started out building rapport with NGO, donors and government people by doing courtesy calls, interview sessions for the NGO profiling. We basically started with easy activities and training topics and moved on to more complex themes. I prepared the training modules in a well-explained and simple format so other people/staff can easily follow when they use the modules. One important strategy which the volunteer used is to capitalise on the interests of the project officer, at the same time slowly building her up to take on new and bigger responsibilities. WHY
was this change seen as most meaningful? This change seen is most meaningful because it is an evidence of building capacity of local staff which is one of the primary aims of the Pacific Skills Link Project and VSO. All the skills and work attitude displayed by the volunteer will remain with the project officer and will be beneficial to her personally and to her country. The volunteer likewise learned a lot from working with her and all other staff-volunteers and local staff. The sharing and learning was mutually beneficial and impacts long after the placement has finished. Local staff and other NGO leaders see Abana as a future leader in the NGO community since she has already developed the basic and some of the advanced skills and qualities to be a good and inspiring leader. What have you gained personally from your experience as a volunteer? Staying and living in Kiribati for almost two years now has been a life changing experience for me. I would say I gained more lessons personally yet it also offered fresh ideas professionally. It has been a real test of character living in a foreign country, the loneliness and isolation living in a tiny, rustic atmosphere and very simple lifestyle, the everyday challenges I encounter especially during the early months such as understanding the language, culture, local and foreign people in the capital. Kiribati is just like one of the barrios near the beach in the Philippines, except that one can only see the vast Pacific Ocean on the left and the aquamarine, sometimes turquoise lagoon on the right side. I have learned to be tolerant of other people, to listen first to their nuggets of wisdom, advice or anything they wanted to say from the local people before expressing my views, and I have come to know about myself-my creativity and ingenuity both at work and life outside work. If I have not been a volunteer, I have not known aspects of myself and some interests I wanted to pursue but either I did not have time to de before or too scared to even think about it. Living away from home also strengthened my ties and relationship with my parents and my sibling I am now able to fully express my love and other feelings to them without feeling shy or embarrassed. I felt that being a volunteer is a big blessing and a wonderful opportunity to know and learn other culture and to be part of their lives even for such a short period of time. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all my colleagues at FSPK and KANGO. I am delighted to learn other practical skills from the locals and foreigners as well. 8
August 2006 A
Scoop at Scope Project
The concept of corporate citizenship has this fundamental philosophy in mind. The symbiotic relationship between the corporate communities and society is based on the principle that business interest could be best served in line with social development. In support of this principle, the German Development Service in cooperation with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) worked out the development of the SCOPE Project in December 2003 until August 2004 and launched it in August 2004 to assist companies in implementing projects that create a win-win solution between the company and the community. SCOPE stands for Strategic Corporate Community Partnership for Local Development Program. SCOPE develops and pilot test a framework that would show how the limited technical and financial resources of companies would achieve CSR program objectives. The project received positive response from the business sector and was pursued with the Visayas and Mindanao SMEs as focus of assistance. SCOPE focuses on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that integrate and implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their companies. It orients them in implementing an affordable CSR scheme while aligning their companies business interest and bottom lines in the process. SCOPE tries to build reliable partnership among Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and companies to assure sustainable growth in the community as well as enhance corporate citizenship. SCOPE assist companies in identifying suitable partners and projects; provides access to best practices; provides technical assistance for project implementation through deployment of skilled specialists; and provides financial assistance to selected projects. In coordination with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), the deployment of a DED volunteer to the PBSP was finalized in 2005. PNVSCA provided DED technical support in placement of volunteers and identifying suitable partner organizations for the SCOPE Project expansion to cover the Visayas and Mindanao areas. According to Matthias Niggel, the German Development Service Worker presently assigned by DED to PBSP to oversee the SCOPE implementation, the problem of some companies in implementing their CSRs is not on technical and financial matters but more on finding suitable partner organizations. Matthias was assigned to PBSP last September 2005. When
he came to PBSP, he focused on finding suitable partners by
“bridging” companies and potential community partners. PBSP
provided Matthias with a vast network of companies affiliated with PBSP
to work on. What he did to effectively communicate the intention
of SCOPE is to improve its communications materials. He completed
already a new SCOPE leaflet and new Power Point presentations
about SCOPE which is used for conducting briefing to various companies.
He also conducts monitoring and evaluating projects done during the
pilot phase.
Another case in point is Dedon Manufacturing in Cebu - a producer of high-end furniture. It sought the help of SCOPE in getting quality weavers for their products. Assisted by DED, Dedon partnered with Don Bosco and trained out-of-school youths in in the weaving craft. Dedon Manufacturing were to get weavers from this training institution . At present, around 300 trained weavers contribute to the growth of Dedon while providing a stable job for the out-of-school-youths. Matthias’ works in PBSP led him to the doors of various SMEs in Sulu, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo and Davao. He said that companies though interested in CSR normally have no time to come to ask for assistance as they cannot leave their shop. You have to visit them and sell the idea. One of the problems of SMEs is writing proposals. They cannot put in writing their plans so you have to help them and in extreme cases write for them, Matthias added.
Matthias found his works in PBSP challenging. The concern about resource mobilization was at the moment solved by the funding provided by DED. At present, the project has sufficient budget to cover its targets. He is focusing now on looking at the manual of companies to put things together as all the components are there already in place needing only organization. He hopes to complete a manual for companies that is understandable to them avoiding NGO language that are not understandable to SMEs. His work on System Development is expected to be complete by the end of the year. At present, Matthias has conducted briefing to around 30 companies. Five (5) proposals have already been approved for SCOPE assistance. Things are currently being finalized yet but he assured that there will be three (3) concrete projects for this year. SCOPE Project has served as the bridge that interface between the corporate and community partnership. It lends neutrality and credibility in engaging both parties to achieve the goals of sustainable development through an effective collaboration between the two sectors. The project has given a new dimension in business partnership and has infused social responsibility in corporate undertakings. The deployment of a volunteer to the project similarly highlights the role of volunteerism in supporting social development. The works of volunteers in catalyzing local development initiatives has been underscored and demonstrated by the SCOPE Project not only in achieving its project objectives and forging private – public partnership, but more significantly in infusing the value of volunteerism among the various stakeholders. It provides a sustainable mechanism that is grounded on human capacity for helping one another in the spirit of community and attainment of the common good. PNVSCA will continue to support this kind of initiative. Trainer
in Early Childhood Development My name is Angela Serong. I am a 30 year old woman from Melbourne, Australia. I have been working at CRIBS Philippines, Inc. for the last twelve months as a full0time volunteer. I belong to a program called the 'Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development'. This is a volunteer program that places young Australian professionals on assignments in developing countries in the Asia and Pacific Regions. We are sponsored by AusAID (The Australian Aid Agency for International Development). CRIBS (Create Responsive Infants By Sharing) is a non-government child welfare organization in Marikina City, Metro Manila. CRIBS provides two main programs. The Receiving Home (residential home) provides full-time care for up to 25 babies who have been abandoned, surrendered or neglected (aged newborn to 2.5 years). The New Beginnings Program provides a residential rehabilitation program for up to 25 girls aged 7 to 17 years) who are survivours of sexual abuse. I felt very fortunate to be selected to come to Manila to work on a project at CRIBS. I arrived in late April 2005, and set about meeting with Grace Pangan (my supervisor), Yolanda Himmiwat and Glynice Morta (my counterparts) to establish what the project would involve. One main priority, identified by Yolanda Himmiwat, was to reduce the rate of illness in the Receiving Home. New guidelines and practices for infection control were implemented in the Receiving Home in August 2005. The aim of these guidelines and practices is to reduce the frequency of respiratory illness (coughs and colds) and diarrheal illness (LBM) in the Receiving Home. The babies are at an age where they are least able to fight infection and illness. The prevention of illness is a major responsibility of all caregivers, staff, volunteers, trainees and visitors in the Receiving Home. Handwashing is the most important way of reducing illness in the Receiving Home. This has been demonstrated by many studies. All people who enter the Receiving Home, whether they are staff, volunteers or visitors are advised to wash their hands before any contact with the children. All diaper changing should occur on the diaper change mat. Babies should not be changed on the floor. Diaper changing on the floor spreads germs. Nose cloths or bibs used to wipe a babies nose are single use only. The staff are encouraged not to leave a bib on a baby it it has been used to wipe their nose. The baby's bib should be changed right away. Nose secretions are very infectious and carry many germs, especially if they are yellow or green. All volunteers and visitors are required to wash their hands when entering the Receiving Home, to wear a clean shirt and socks. Handwashing is the most critical of all these practices. It is difficult to control the spread of illness in an organization where there are many young children living together. However, illnesses can be minimized when all people in the Receiving Home follow the guidelines. I would like to thank Yolanda Himmiwat and all the Receiving Home staff for their openness and willingness to commit to these new practices. Handwashing is an equally important illness prevention measure in the New Beginnings Program. This is a responsibility of all girls, staff, volunteers and visitors. During
the project, I presented workshops to Receiving Home and Placement
Program staff (Adoption and Foster Care), and produced or accessed
resources, in the following areas: I presented workshops to the girls and the staff from the New Beginnings Program in the following areas, in February 2006: (i) Preventing Illness; and (ii) Common Illness in the New Beginnings Program. I presented a seminar to the Foster Parents in February 2006 that covered the topics of Preventing Illness in Your Home, Early Childhood Development and Early Detection of Developmental Delay, Language Development and Delay and Baby Massage. The final phase of my project involved facilitating a workshop called 'Facilitation Skills Program, Training the Trainer in Early Childhood Development in February 2006. This was presented to selected staff from the New Beginnings Program and Receiving Home, and all staff from the Placement Program. The aim of this two-day workshop was to give input to the staff about conducting seminars in Early Childhood Development so that the education and training may be ongoing, once I leave. I was able to facilitate the donation of a specialized chair for a baby with special needs. This chair was donated from old workplace in Melbourne, Australia, The royal Children's Hospital. I also facilitated the donation of parts, plans and photos for a standing frame for this baby. This is a piece of specialized equipment that will enable her to stand with adequate safety and support. It is hoped that the standing frame will be made locally soon. I have produced a CD of Early Childhood Development resources for CRIBS. This CD has also been provided to Aus AID (Manila), SAGRIC International (our managing company) and PNVSCA ( Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency). This is to facilitate networking between Australian volunteers, other foreign volunteers and child welfare organizations in the Philippines. If anyone would like to access the information or resources please contact PNVSCA or Grace Pangan (Program Supervisor at CRIBS). You are very welcome to avail yourself of the information. Grace Pangan has been my supervisor. I have been part of the Placement Program Team. I would like to offer my sincered thanks to Grace for her support, guidance and encouragement. Yolanda Himmiwat and Gynice Morta have been my counterparts. I too would like to thank them for their professionalism and support. To all the staff at CRIBS thank you so much for welcoming and accepting me. I thank you for your openness, friendliness and patience. Hindi magaling ng Tagalog ko, minsan naintindihan! Mabait po kayo. Thank you for all the fun times. However, my experience has not been just about me teaching or sharing information. I have learnt so much from living and working in Manila. I have felt very humbled by the generosity and hospitality of the Filipino people, and your willingness to share despite the daily hardships faced. I have many fond and happy memories of my experiences at CRIBS. I have grown close to many of the babies and I will miss them greatly. I worked a lot with a baby named Nicole. She has special needs. One great memory I have of her is one morning when I was talking to her and playing with her, she reached out to me to touch my face and smiled. This is a very significant milestone as eye contact with her is very difficult and she has very limited movement and control of her body. Another very happy memory I have is being greeted by one of the toddlers, named JM. He said to me "Oh Tita!" and stretched out his arms with a big smile. I have been very fortunate to travel quite a lot in the Philippines. My favourite place was Coron, Palawan where I completed a Scuba Diving Course. I was also very pleased to be able to go and visit my kuya in Thailand during the Christmas vacation break. I
found CRIBS to be an organization very open to ways of improving the
services and care for the babies and girls. I feel very blessed to
be a part of the CRIBS family. I am sad to be leaving. I
will not forget the children, staff and volunteers at CRIBS and I will
definitely come back to visit. 26
June 2006 Jenelyn Remetio says her journey as a VIDA volunteer is difficult and challenging. At first, the community people were not enthusiastic to work with her. Among her projects and activities are nutrition education, food production and livelihood. But Jenelyn has "a thousand patience on my bag." Her dedication paid off and now "the people of the community realized how my role is important to the cooperative." _________ 26
June 2006 Providing Nutrition to the Malnourished When I commenced my placement in June 2004, I began my training a core group of women including 2 teenagers to become community nutritionists. As part of their practical training, we implemented a 6-months Supplemental Feeding Program which targeted the very underweight children who belonged to very low income and large family. One of our beneficiaries was a one and a half year old boy who only weighed 7 kgs and was categorized as Severely Underweight for his age. He had not gained weight in the previous 6 months. His eyes were sunken and he had a distended stomach. His mother, in her twenties, used to take him to the Feeding Program. She had already undergone a seminar on Nutrition and Hygiene together with the other parents whose children were in the Feeding Program. This was conducted by the Trainee Nutritionists under my supervision. I began to hear some reports from her neighbors about how her children were always seen playing outside without slippers, naked and looking filthy. I immediately arranged a Home Visit taking one of the trainees to see for ourselves. We then gave further advice to the Mother about the risks of getting parasites by her sons. (All of the children in the Program have already been de-wormed before they started). We gave her more explanation on the importance of hygiene, both personal and environmental, in the prevention of avoidable illness such as parasitism and diarrhea. She made many excuses including how she could not watch them all the time especially when she's busy with household chores. After the visit, her attendance in the Feeding Program became irregular. We decided for another Home Visit because we are so concerned about the child. Again we encouraged her to go back to the Feeding Program and reminded her of the importance of hygiene. But, we became very disappointed of her when she decided not to come anymore to the Feeding Program. We respected her decision. Two weeks later, we heard that her child was rushed to the Hospital for severe diarrhea and dehydration. The child lost weight and was then at a dangerously low level of only 5 kgs. He was taken to Intensive Care Unit and stayed for about 3 days. While in hospital, the child had some laboratory tests and they have found out that he got lots of parasitic worms inside him. He was de-wormed and some were expelled. The kid was dismissed out of the hospital when the doctors felt that he was now safe from danger and no more worms were coming out from him. The Mother visited the Clinic to tell us the story. We gave her our support and encouraged her to take her child back to the Feeding Program again as soon as he was well. Three days later, the child was back in hospital with more worms coming out again. This happened one more time and this is when I realized why. The whole family should be de-wormed at the same time. Every time the kid was back in the house, the other members of the family were innocently infecting him again with worms. The whole house were sanitized a few bottles of bleach was used to disinfect everything. Bedsheets, pillow cases, mats and mattresses were out in the sunshine. handwashing with soap, always wearing of slippers, etc. The mother gave another visit to the Clinic to tell us of the good news, this time the parasitic worms have not come back. Some members of the family have expelled worms, too. The child gained weight after a week of being given a special formula, and reached his Normal weight for his age after another 2 weeks. He was able to leave the Feeding Program in a stabilized condition. The mother became an avid advocate of the importance of hygiene and became a role model for other mothers in the community who encountered the same problem with parasitic worms. By
Charito Hall, VSO 5
April 2006 JOCV
tried CRM ! The Province of Cebu is surrounded by sea, and CRM is a very important issue in this island. Borbon town located in the north-east of Cebu is working on CRM by setting a "Sanctuary" (marine reserved area) to prevent over-fishing, and protect precious corals and fish. But! there was an outbreak of predators, namely starfishes, in the sanctuary. They eat the protected corals! The Provincial Government of Cebu and the Municipality of Borbon started to catch those starfishes. How do they do that? Very simple. They have a lance in one hand, and stab it into the starfishes with thinking "Revenge from our corals!" Though it was my first time, I tried to catch the starfishes with local fisherfolk. While other kinds of starfishes have beautiful colors and nice features, this coral-eating-starfish has a grotesque color and lots of thorns. I thought "Starfish which do bad things look really bad". In addition, its name is "Crown of thorns!" Sounds really bad! We caught about 10 buckets of them in one day. My work was not very helpful for fisherfolk whose work was very fast and efficient, but it was a very good OJT (On The Job Training) for me. Lastly, biscuits and coke I had on the sea were especially good!
What does "rich" mean?
"One JOCV went to a village, and tried to do a
JOCV: "What are you doing?" Speech
at Eastern Visayas Swear-In Ceremony Tonight's swearing-in program feels a lot like a graduation ceremony. An outdoor, tropical graduation ceremony where instead of diplomas we receive little metal pins with the Peace Corps logo (which, I think, are more practical than diplomas due to their higher poking-to-pain correlation) and instead of caps and gowns, we're sporting the one pair of extra nice clothes that we packed solely for this occasion and probably won't wear again for two years. In fact this whole past week has felt a lot like senior week, each day anticipating sa big celebration, and after which we go our separate ways. We all passed our final language interview last Monday, and after several days of fun and laughter and swimming and dancing and assorted shenanigans, it's as though we've all landed jobs that begin next week in unfamiliar territory, away from each other. And immanent separation tends to forcefully remind us just how special these relationships are. All of us have experienced transitions before, be it graduating from school, starting a new job or moving to a new location. But in the past these transitions have had an element of familiarity to them. Perhaps the people you were living or working with stayed the same, or you remained in the same area, or the line of work was similar, or at the very least the language and culture and food was familiar to you. What we are all faced with this weekend is a transition in which nothing is familiar. Every aspect is different from what we have known before and what has become comfortable for us. So here is the depressing part of the speech where I pour forth my insecurities and gears about our impending doom and cause you all to question why you picked me to speak to you tonight. Frankly, I'm terrified about what's to come. Frankly, I'm scared of the loneliness and discomfort and frustration that lies ahead. A Psych Professor told me once that there are two major potentially traumatic transitions that the human body experiences in life. The first is the birthing process whereby a baby leaves the comfort and security of the womb and is forced to begin breathing and existing independent of its mother. The second is the transition from college into the post-college life, because for most young Americans this is when they attain true independence, financially and otherwise. (This professor also mentioned that symptoms of schizophrenia are most likely to materialize during this latter transition). I would argue, however, that what we are faced with is a more difficult transition than that from college into post-college life, more difficult even than leaving the States for the Philippines in the first place. This could be the most harrowing, emotionally tumultuous transition we experience in our lives and it starts tomorrow. BUT now here is the uplifting, inspirational part of the speech where I proclaim a message of such great hope and profound wisdom that you all validate your decision to have me speak here and are left reeling in the speech's glorious aftermath. Here's what comes to mind for me when the terror creeps in. We are, all of us, travelers on a journey. And we are fully equipped for what lies ahead. And furthermore, we desperately want to tackle and embrace and overcome the terror that lies ahead. It is said that all of life is a long exciting journey but the chunk of road that lies ahead takes us off the highway for a stretch and onto a dirt road, overcome with rocks and ruts and rickety bridges. It winds steeply upward, around switchbacks and over mountains and there are piles of karibau poop and dogs sleeping in the road that must be avoided. Sometimes there's no shade and sometimes the fumes from the smoldering piles of coconut husks on the side of the road become unbearable. Hallmark's belittlements aside, a chunk of life lies before us that is entirely about the journey and not at all about the destination. The Chaplain at Dartmouth once wrote some thoughts to a group of students embarking on a trip to Nicaragua that I found apt to describe what we are faced with here. Perhaps at no other time in our lives will we experience the sense of journey with the same forcefulness as in these next two years. It maybe physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, or all of the above but it will no doubt be profoundly indescribable. Regardless, it will not leave us the same people as we are now. So we are setting off on this journey now. My dad likes to say that there's no such thing as bad weather, only improper clothing and inflexible plans. I think there's no such thing as a bad Peace Corps experience, only improper preparation and inflexible attitudes. We are travelers, fully equipped for what lies ahead and emotionally and mentally prepared for what we cannot control. Route-wise, we can trust the path that has been mapped out for us, albeit a mysterious road. We will have traveling companions along the way for the next two years. Some of them will barely influence our journey, remaining instead on the side of the road and yelling "Hey Joel!" Some companions' role will be to supply us with the necessary provisions for our journey such as patience and perseverance, Milo, and a sense of humor. Sometimes our traveling companions will be sneaky, tricky types who lead us off the path and push us into the piles of karibau poop and cause us to question why we're here and doubt the worth of experience. And then there are those inseparable traveling companions who walk by our side for long stretches of the road. And there are those who end up carrying us part of the way. When it seems as though your journey is taking you through an area where you feel particularly alienated from those around you, remember that 94 to 97% of human's DNA is identical, and that last 3 to 6% is what makes each one of us gloriously unique. We and the Filipinos that we live and work alongside are inhabiting this same earth, breathing the same air and feeling the same raindrops and sunlight. We experience the same emotions. We all laugh and cry and long for love and companionship. Ultimately we have much more in common than we have that differentiates us. On this journey we're armed with certain supplies. I like to use the term "armed" because I don't think the Peace Corps uses enough violent militaristic analogies in their training terminology. We are equipped with powerful weapons for this journey. Language is one. Remember the first time you heard the phrase "maayong buntag"? For most of us it was back in Cavite when Snapper told us to forget whatever Tagalog phrase we had memorized because in the Visayas they said "maayong buntag," which sounded like nonsensical gibberish to me. And now, ten weeks later, we are empowered with a solid Bisayan foundation that will carry us far. Cross-cultural relationships is another one. Remember when your host family was a mysterious projection of your imagination? Today we know then well, and count them among our closest friends here in the Philippines. And we volunteers are a third. Remember when each others' faces belonged to strange nobodies in some hotel lobby back in Detroit? And look at us now. We are priceless supporters for one another. All this has been accomplished in just ten weeks. Imagine what lies ahead in the next two years. There are rest stops and scenic views along the way of this journey that we may look forward to. We are presented here with the opportunity to live differently for two years, to live experientially and to learn not from books and professors but from fellow global citizens living out their lives close to the earth and close to each other. We have an opportunity to embrace the relativity of time and not feel imprisoned by the restraints we used to impose on our days. We are presented with the opportunity to live the way 80% of the world lives, with limited resources, and often no running water or electricity. We can enjoy the refreshing sensation of knowing just how little we need to get by. Most of all, we may look forward to a freedom from the numbness that accompanies an easy life. An Italian monk who is said to have preached to the birds once wrote a prayer in which he asked, "Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, and to be loved as to love." I find this empowering, because it allows you to be the doer of the consoling, the understanding and the loving instead of the passive participant. It places the focus on the actor, instead of the object-focus, the instrument-focus, locative-focus or the benefactor-focus. That's for you, Mercie. On this journey we discover a compass ingrained deep within us. There is a system in place in America, in most of the world in fact. It is something that Daniel Quinn calls "Mother Culture" and it whispers constantly in our ear what we should value, what we ought to do and what will make us happy. Its message is so deeply ingrained in us that we fail to even recognize the whisper any longer. Regardless of the merits or downfalls of Mother Culture's message, we have, to some extent, escaped it here. And it's only when one exits the system that we're granted the opportunity to listen to our inner compass and determine what is ultimately meaningful for us. If our two years here are viewed only as a bridge, as a means to something else, then we might not be listening to what our inner compass is saying. The needle may not point to that graduate degree after all, or to that particular line of work in that particular location. But the point is that on this journey, we must get lost before we can find out where our inner compass points. Getting lost is a step in the right direction. The best news of all is that each of us wanted to step off the paved highway and set off down this rocky stretch of road. Each one of us chose to come here, not out of guilt or duty but out of joy and a deep sense of gratitude. The greatest injustice of poverty is the lack of choices imposed on its victims and with that in mind, it is a privilege to have this experience. Tomorrow our journey begins. And it ends 730 days from now-give or take 729 depending on whether or not we get kicked out of the Peace Corps tomorrow or extend for an extra two years. To our supervisors and co-workers: thank you for being here tonight. Working with you is an honor that we all look forward to these next two years. To our hub staff and LCFs: the time and energy that you, Janet, Rachel and Ibeth, invested into training has made our weeks in Leyte a truly fun and worthwhile occasion, and cannot be overstated. To Snapper: as we begin this new chapter in our lives a chapter is closing for you. We know you've loved helping us ease into the role of volunteers but you are the main reason why we feel so prepared, so eager to begin and so grateful for what lies behind. You've provided an inspirational model for us to live up to and your friendship is cherished. And finally, to my fellow new volunteers, my partners in crime and my dear friends: It's been quite a ride. And it's not over yet. We're heading off on our own but 'on your own' is an illusion in this country and the stretch of road that we travel together hasn't ended yet. We've endured diseases and stool samples, and we've shared long nights of dancing out on the street under plastic flags, Christmas lights and a full moon while rats scurried across the dance floor. We've shared a dozen barefoot ultimate games followed by evening swims in the ocean and countless sunsets. One sunset, I recall, was so spectacular that it caused a volunteer who shall remain nameless to compare it to a scene from Star Wars, it was just so elegant. We are forever united by the Chocolate and Wa Wa Wee songs. And we've failed at some things too. Our greatest failure I think is that no one ever actually hit the buoy with a rock, which is mostly Jeremy's fault. These are special memories, but the best is yet to come. In two years we will look back on so much more, provided we're all alive then, which means we might want to stop raising the bar on our pattern of inane bets to the point where we're paying Katrina 7 pesos to eat sea urchins. So stay alive. Get lost. Remember to laugh at ourselves. Watch the sunsets and wake up for the sunrises. We go forth now to learn and to love our neighbors in the global community. We and they are equally needy and equally enriched. We're here to enrich our lives and become part of the missions of enriching the lives of another community. This
is not a spirit; it's a marathon. And if all else fails think about your friends at home who are sitting in cubicles playing desktop solitaire. VIDA Volunteer undeterred by challenges Children no matter where they came from, no matter what their history is deserve a bright future. This premise led former Catholic priest Fr. Edward Gerlock to set up Bahay Tuluyan, a center that caters to children who are abused, abandoned and are facing difficult circumstances. Here they are not only being educated with the 3 R’s, they are also taught alternative livelihood project such as gardening and carpentry. VIDA volunteer Flordeliza Abante who supports such cause came to Bahay Tuluyan and helped the children learn basic fundamental skills in writing, reading and counting numbers. She also taught the children in her morning and afternoon classes how to draw and make use of indigenous materials. Ms. Abante likewise had the patience to teach good manners even to her most errant students and show them how to pray. To ensure and sustain a good attendance in school, Ms. Abante sought the help of parents. She educated them about the roles and responsibilities they play in the education of their children. She visits them at home twice a month and regularly meets with them in school each month. Ms. Abante remains undeterred by the challenges she faces. She is determined to keep the children in school even if some of the parents remain uncooperative or the student frequently behaves badly. 09/28/04 ‘Rat
race’on Banaue terraces may help solve the giant earthworm problem MUÑOZ SCIENCE CITY, Nueva Ecija – There is a ‘rat race’ on Banaue Rice Terraces. But this is of the neneficial kind. This rat race resulted in the finding of “three” friendly rat species, one of which may help solve the terraces’ giant earthworm problem. A group of scientist from the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) based in this community is studying the salient characteristics of three rat species which the team initially found to be friendly – again not harmful to the rice crops on the world famous terraces in the Ifugao province. One of the rats, the lowland striped shrew rat (S. Chrotomys mindorensis) is believed the nemesis of the giant earthworm that has long been a problem and has even threatened to wash out one of the world’s agriculture landmarks. The other “friendly” rodent species is the common Philippine forest rat (S. Rattus everetti). As for the other friendly farm rat, the scientists are still doing further taxonomic research to know to which species it belongs. In an article “The Mysterious Rats of the Banaue Rice Terraces” released recently by PhilRice, it was learned that not all rats are harmful to farm crops, particularly those planted in the Banaue area. The article is part of the mother paper “Rodents and Other Small Mammals in Banaue and Hungduan Rice Terraces, Philippines” by Dr. Ravindra Joshi and other scientists from PhilRice, Australia and local counterparts from Ifugao local government. The researchers led by Joshi, include Alexander Stuart, a graduate student on wildlife management and conservation from Reading University in the United Kingdom; and Rachel Miller, Youth Ambassador for Development of Australia. Joshi had been doing research on ecosystem preservation and pest management of the terraces. The most popular of his works was the Banaue rice earthworms. Stuart, who arrived here in April to join the rat study, had previous involvements in forest farm ecosystems, including his participation in 1998 in the project on mammal counts, reception work, mapping of burnt lands, culling and patrolling at the Mkuze Game Reserve, South Africa, besides another project, in connection with his Reading University graduate works, in Gibbon Rehabilitation Center, Thailand in January 2002. The team is now trying to determine the habitat distribution of the rat species in Banaue and Hungduan to establish a baseline data that might be useful in evaluating changes in the unique status of the rice terraces’ ecosystem. What prompted the rodent research was the recorded traditional rat-pest problem in the terraces. In an earlier study, Banaue and Hungduan farmers ranked rodents as first among the three most pre-harvest pests of their rice crops, besides the damages this pest had inflicted on local warehouses and households. The study was held from November 2002 to June 2003 with a survey of rat species and their behaviors. It was followed by introducing trapping techniques in farm areas and residential communities, which yielded to capturing six rat species. The early significant findings in the study included the food preferences of the rats. Stuart had initially found that the lowlands striped shrew rat feeds on insects, snails and the giant earthworms. The common Philippine forest rat eats fruits and wild plants. Miller started studying the reproductive biology of the pest rats, and to find means to protect or separate the newly discovered friendly rats from the former. One possible measure is controlling the pest rats without using pesticides. She said: It is important to find out [and understand] the habitat of the ‘good rats’ [Chrotomys mindorensis] to protect them when the control method is applied. The researchers were glad they did not find the most notorious rat species, Rattus argentiventer, in the area. It is known as the major rodent pest in the rice-growing systems of mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesian archipelago. This rat species has been noted thriving in Laguna. Mindanao, Mindoro and Negros islands. “Many believe that some of the good rats are also present in the lowlands, which we doubt, because they are mostly found, according to this study, in farmlands near forest areas,” Miller said. Joshi said this might be because of the unique biodiversity environment on the rice terraces that play hosts to abundant native mammal fauna, with “native species effectively holding back the competitively inferior invaders,” apparently referring to the more destructive Rattus argentiventer. “This
is good indication that the rice terraces environment despite its
very long history of human activities and interventions,
nevertheless remains a relatively healthy one. This finding provides
an important benchmark to which future developments can be composed
[with],” Josh said. Thoughts
Of A Leaving Development Worker During the last five years of working together with Babas Foundation Inc. (BFI) in Davao City, I think we have achieved a lot. Following the BFI support, we have aimed to support each other and the whole program construction. These are the model farmer project, the demo farm, the agro-marketing and the micro-finance project. Now we have reached a point, where the model farmers get farm inputs as a loan, sow hedgerows along the contour lines to prevent erosion, plant fruit trees, bananas, vegetables in a low-chemical way and raise goats, chicken, pigs to improve their livelihood. Repayments and interests serve as loans for future model farmers and sustain the BFI-agro-extension officer. In the demo farm the farmers are trained and the farm inputs for the model farmers produced, thus contributing to the self-sustainability of the demo-farm. And the agro-marketing provides good prices for the farmers’ produce and sustain itself by processing them into high value products like from copra to coco oil, which can be sold at a higher price. It’s natural that this system still needs to be improved, but we’re on the right way to sustain our programs and services while helping the underprivileged people. A lot of efforts, trials and errors were necessary to build up this program and its components. By working together in harmony, being tolerant and learning from each other we could master all the difficulties. So I have been able to spend many happy moments with my colleagues and our farmers in the office and in the field. We have found out that service to humanity can be satisfying for oneself too. As my contract will be finished soon, I have to go back to Germany together with my family. On one hand we are not glad about it. I will be missing my colleagues and the satisfying work. On the other hand I have a good feeling that BFI-programs and services will go on successfully. And that’s it what all of us wanted to achieve. I wish all of us good luck for the future. Daghang salamat! JOCV Volunteers: DepEd’s ally on SBTP Volunteers help a lot in the development of a community. In addition to facilitating the establishment of improving livelihood and other development projects and activities, volunteers also assist in the education sector. This is currently being undertaken by our Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) through the School-Based Training Program (SBTP) of the Department of Education. SBTP is a unique way of teacher training launched by the Department of Education in pilot Regions V, VI and XI in 1999. This program gives opportunities to teachers in elementary and secondary schools to study subject contents and to learn teaching skills continuously. In 2002, the Department of Education and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) agreed to implement a technical cooperation project for SBTP with Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) providing school-based trainings for teachers. KOJI
HASE is the JOCV Field Coordinator for SBTP in DepEd Region V (Bicol
Region). He shares his observations and the activities undertaken by
the following JOCV volunteers in SBTP. TETSU
YAMAGUCHI Tetsu demonstrates teaching skills in physics. He encourages teachers to comment on his lessons as a way of improving theirs. Tetsu conducted a survey on 150 teachers from different schools to gather their opinion on how SBTP could be improved. TAKAKO
MIYOSHI Takako is an elementary teacher in Japan. She is determined, patient and tries to motivate the students to study more. Her work in SBTP has enabled her to visit different schools to observe their teaching styles. She studied the daily lessons of these schools and made a report of her observations. JUNICHI
NAKATANI Jun is an elementary teacher who displays lots of energy and bright ideas. More than merely expressing his suggestions, he prefers doing and experimenting on them. As an advocate for equal education, Jun wants to focus more on helping the slow learners cope up with their lessons. NORIYUKI
IMAGIRE Nori specializes on Geometry. He shows his teaching skills on how to properly draw different figures and angles. He also wants to make Geometry more enjoyable to the students. KAN
MOTOYAMA Kan, given his Masteral Degree in Mathematics has done several demonstration lessons on mathematics as requested by teachers. MATSUYO
UTSUNOMIYA Matsuyo conducted an achievement test on science teachers to find out their strengths and weaknesses. She is teaching how to use the microscope as a tool for learning. TAKAFUSA
OKAMURA Taka makes sure that the SBTP participants learn things that would be useful for the teachers’ lessons, including suggestions on how to use local materials for simple experiments. RYOKO
TAKIGUCHI Ryoko,
an elementary teacher is keen to know what motivates the teachers to
teach more effectively and students to learn more. Korea
on my mind
I
left for Korea on September 14, full of apprehensions, as any first
time traveler would be. I had thought of many factors which I
perceived would make my Korean sojourn as surprising as that of a
jack-in-a-box. One of these: the weather. As the days went by, and I
had my daily routine all ironed out, I slowly got the hang of the
entire activity and proceeded to perform my duties as Local Language
instructor.
Together
with other 12 language teachers from other countries, I would share
our culture, traditions, and local language with the Korean Overseas
Volunteers Batch 17. The two-month training has two components: the
first was the language and culture and the other is volunteer
indoctrination.
In
the language and culture classes, we discussed eating habits (bagoong,
merienda, halu-halo), social and religious practices (fiesta, siesta
and other celebrations which we are world-renowned for), local art
(music and dances), economic situations and Filipino lifestyle in
general. Classes may be formal or informal, depending on the
situation in order to have a very interesting discussion. Education
cannot be confined in just the four corners of the classroom so
there were times when classes were held outdoors to stimulate
participation. I admit that teaching ten mature students with
different personalities became a challenge to my creativity.
The Korean government prepared a three-day guided tour for the
instructors in order to know the Korean culture and history. We
first visited Kyeong-ju, the capital of the Shilla dynasty of
ancient Korea. This place is a vast historical reservoir. We visited
temples, royal tombs, and other cultural heritage recognized by
UNESCO. We also got a glimpse of the car manufacturing, shipping and
steel industries of Korea when we toured Hyundai Heavy Industries,
Hyundai Car Manufacturing and Pohang Steel Corporation.
Touring
the countryside was an eye-opener for me. Korea is only 30% arable
flat land but the farmers use each tract wisely. These are planted
with green and leafy vegetables and harvested before the winter
season comes. There were no resources like trees, forestry,
minerals, farming and fishing and yet it became a member of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Koreans have enviable persistence and dedication to labor, working
six days a week at more than 12 hours daily. Their discipline and
incorruptible integrity are character strengths that have brought
Korea to the OECD status that it is enjoying.
As the end drew near, we prepared for the culminating program where
the students would present a comical skit. I could not help but feel
melodramatic for the imminent farewells I would be giving to my
fellow teachers who were my sounding-boards during the times that I
would feel homesick. My consolation was that I would be seeing my
students in twenty-days. I would be seeing Sean of few words,
mischievous Andy, talented Jim, fatherly Harry, cynical Tony, "Anak"
Owen, White, Tall Dany, Dog-lover Rusi and: Maganda" Dandelion
and Korea will be back on my mind again.
For
my parting words, I have nothing but appreciation to the Korean
government who took utmost care of the instructors especially for
the outstanding teaching facilities and equipment, excellent food
and deluxe accommodations, and their assistance to all of us during
times of need. Kumapsimnida!!!
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Business
and social development are intrinsically connected . Business is
affected by poverty. Product consumption, purchasing power,
quality of manpower , labor stability and raw materials supply
chain are undoubtedly influenced by the level of economic liberty
a community enjoys. 
One
of these projects is the case of Figaro in Central Cordilleras.
Figaro is a model on what corporate-community partnership can achieve.
Figaro wants to establish its steady supply line of quality coffee
from the Cordilleras. But the farmers are not eager to produce
coffee because of its low
According
to Matthias, SCOPE has established a set of criteria for
SMEs to qualify for assistance. This include, among others, a good
reputation; external partners and good relations with the partners;
supply or labor and investment in the host communities in
form of basic services such as livelihood, potable water, electricity,
etc