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YEP 2013: The Kaleidoscope of Life

[Date Created: August 13, 2013]


by Arianne Rodriguez


“What I do, you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

– Mother Teresa of Calcutta




DAVAO City, Philippines – The third batch of students from Singapore’s Ngee Ann Polytechnic who signed up for this year’s Youth Expedition Project (YEP) together with their lecturers touched down on March 26, 2013 by nightfall. The YEP team composed of 22 students and 4 staff members instantly fell in with the Filipino experience as they set their eyes on a famous Filipino cultural symbol—the jeepney—which was their means of transportation for the duration of their stay. Probably the best thing about being in a jeepney in the first few hours of their trip is having the chance to realize almost immediately how different this country is. As to how favorable that difference might be, is up for them to understand in the days to come. 


Since the year 2000, YEP has been supporting Singapore’s youth between the ages of 15 and 35 to embark on local community service and international service learning projects. Administered by the National Youth Council of Singapore, this project encourages young people to make a difference in the world by making the spirit of volunteerism come alive in their hearts. One of this year’s YEPs was bound for Davao City to join Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation (GK) in its quest for service. GK felt very privileged to host the team, and it is with much pleasure that the GK volunteers came to assist them in this trip.


In the first few days of their community immersion, the team was fascinated by the culture, cuisine and practices of the locals. They were also able to appreciate living life the GK way. Several times, they sat down with the GK beneficiaries and took some time to know each one’s story. With that, they established a deeper understanding of what life is like in the Philippines.




Waking Up to the Other Side of the World


Poverty is a global issue. Though being poor definitely isn’t fun for anyone, poverty in Singapore is said to be “less badly off” than that of most countries. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said ''everybody (in SG) starts with some chips and not at zero through education, health care and public housing” (BBC News, SG©Feb2012). Given this fact, it is with utmost sincerity that most students came to admit how disturbing the poverty scene is in the Philippines. Yes, they’re not oblivious to the reality that many people around the world suffer so much from scarcity of basic needs but just knowing about it is way different from perceiving it first-hand. They have heard about some of the most pitiful life conditions straight from the GK beneficiaries themselves. More than that, they have seen living representations of such crisis. Indeed, just waking up to this side of the world was already a life-changing experience for them.





“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson



The students did not go such a long way only to get inspired but to become an inspiration for others as well. As they picked up lessons along the way, they also left some for the people that they have met in their trip.





On March 27, 2013, the team commenced a house build from ground zero at MP Banks GK Village, Catalunan Pequeno, Davao City. The students and their professors were not at all skilled in this kind of manual labor. However, they did the best they could do to help build what will later become a home for a family who truly deserves it. Every day was a struggle, given that they had to do strenuous tasks such as digging, mixing cement and passing heavy buckets for hours—something most of them never had to do all their lives until now. The scorching heat of the sun that pitilessly burned their skin added to their already-heavy burden. As the days passed, they realized how hard of a job it is to build a house. They felt they’ve done so much, like they’ve lost a lot of their strength already, but the progress that they see seemed so little. It was almost dispiriting…but as the GK volunteers and beneficiaries worked among them with hopeful eyes and cheerful smiles, they found the strength to keep going.


“To experience digging the foundation of the house using simple tools like a spade, mixing cement without the cement mixer and building the house by placing one brick at a time is a once in a lifetime chance that I might never see or experience again back in Singapore. On top of that, the teamwork and friendship that we build up while working under the sun through thick and thin is something that I will never forget.” –YEP Batch 2013 Volunteer



"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else." – Mitch Albom



Aside from the house build, the YEP team also went from one GK village to another to educate beneficiaries about the Basics of First Aid and Breast-Self Examination. In addition, they also gave a free Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training for all interested individuals.





Yet among all the significant experiences that they had in this trip, the most memorable event for most if not all of them, had to be their exposure to the city’s female prison which was actually a GK village. The GK Ray of Hope Village has taught them so much about life. The female inmates were nowhere near as dangerous as how they are usually stereotyped. They were so swayed by the heartbreaking life stories of the inmates that they even resolved to give them some of their money to at least aid them in their needs. However, the inmates refused the money and asked them if they could buy their hand-crafted products instead. That hit them hard. Despite their situation, they wouldn’t ask for money; they would like to work for it.

The YEP team was able to act and feel beyond social stigma. They saw kindness in these people’s hearts—something that they thought deserved acceptance and care.


As a sign of gratitude, the students decided to pull together contributions from their own pockets to buy some things that the inmates need such as toiletries and writing materials. These are small things indeed, but all from the heart.



“The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist.”
– Laurence Leamer



Most of the students that signed up for the GK Davao YEP this year are newbies to the experience. However, a few have joined this trip for two or three years now. These are the students who have found so much value and fulfillment in helping people the “GK way”. They could sign up for trips to countries other than the Philippines. They can even choose an adventure trip over YEP. Yet they chose to come back to the country that felt almost like home. They looked forward to seeing the friends that they’ve met in their past trips. They chose to be with GK once more and with much delight, they uttered the words “Walang Iwanan”—a GK promise that found shelter in their hearts.

What keeps them coming back? “The one thing about GK that I admire the most is that they do not just give; they teach people how to fish. By means of this, they are able to serve not a day’s meal alone to the needy families but food for the rest of their lives. I believe that GK is doing it the right way and that somewhere in the future, its goals will find shape. I come back as often as I can…because I find that it is becoming my fulfillment.” –YEP Batch 2013 Volunteer




The Kaleidoscope of Life

This year’s Youth Expedition Project of Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore has been mutually beneficial to its students and the beneficiaries of Gawad Kalinga, not to mention the workers and volunteers who also found fulfillment in making the trip as memorable as possible. GK takes pride in making the spirit of volunteerism ever alive even among young people from different parts of the world.

Through community immersion, cultural exchanges and “bayanihan” activities, the students were able to grasp a lot of lessons in life that they may never have learned elsewhere. They were also able to realize that despite the clear picture of poverty in our country, the heart of a compassionate community remains and that becomes our stronghold; thus the happy Filipinos despite any difficulty at hand.


A kaleidoscope may look so dull and boring on the outside; only if you look through it will you realize how beautiful and magnificent it truly is. The same goes with life. You might never understand what it is if you just keep looking at it from the surface. Look through and you’ll surely be surprised by what you’ll find. :)




 “When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own.”





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Gawad Kalinga is not a charity, rather, it's an organization that aims to end poverty by building empowered and sustainable communities. GK Mabuhay is a program that allows international volunteers to embark on a journey of caring and sharing in the Philippines. They get to experience the best of Filipino culture and hospitality by immersing in a GK community, and make memories that will last a lifetime as they volunteer for various GK programs and activities. Click HERE for more information about going on a volun-tour.


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