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By Excel Dyquiangco

In an ethereal world of poverty, lack of governance for education and health, and intangible projects for the community, there is one private sector that delivers a most surprising contribution to what this country needs — the spirit of Filipino bayanihan. A name most is already familiar with – Gawad Kalinga, or as its English name suggests, “to give care,” and that is precisely what it is doing.

Gawad Kalinga gathers volunteers to help implement its livelihood programs. The organization first held its ground as a pilot project in Bagong Silang, Kalookan City, the biggest relocation site in the country, with a youth program back in December 1995. It started basically for out-of school youths and gang members, collectively known as SIGA, or Serving in God’s Army.

They were composed mostly of men because they usually became the average akyat-bahay gangs. Gawad Kalinga has gone to deeper depth by involving these youths living in slum areas because most NGO’s were afraid to enter the slums and to work in the sector which was considered the poorest of the poor.

The projects include providing them with a decent home, landscape, pathwalks that were clean and orderly and introducing these youths to the issues of values formation, sports, theatre, livelihood training and education just to rehabilitate them but eventually, three years later, Gawad Kalinga began to realize that for sustainable growth, it must happen first within the family or the community in which these youths belonged to.

As of the moment, there are over 100,000 volunteers all over the world and the numbers keep on adding up everyday. A student in Ateneo or Lasalle can just approach one of the volunteers and just help with the building of homes in the Ateneo or Lasalle Gawad Kalinga Village. An architect or ensgineer can sacrifice his time by designing or building houses.

For skills-oriented individuals, they can also help in their own way, not just financially, but by using their skills for everyone to know what Gawad Kalinga is all about. A writer can write about it. A photographer can take pictures of the designing process. A medical student can help in the health programs.

This then wires the statement issued by Gawad Kalinga Executive Director Tony Meloto. He sincerely says that, “At the heart of all of these things, we restore their capacity to dream, na hindi sila habang buhay na squatter, na hindi sila habang buhay na busabos. Poverty is not economic but basically behavioral.”

Other Gawad Kalinga Programs

Aside from the SIGA program for teenagers, there is also the SAGIP (Sagipin ang Galing, Isip at Pangarap) program wherein this involves the elementary students also. When they go home after school, they have tutorials, values formation and even arts. This SAGIP program also includes trainings of the parents of these children. Tony Meloto believes that the family has more influence on the child than the school itself.

There is also the SIBOL program for preschool kids in which they are really starting to develop their minds. Sibol, in English, means to sprout, just like a young bud.

There are also projects for the police community, called “Police Kalinga” and for soldiers alike, called “Kawal Kalinga”, which builds homes for the police and the soldiers.

Programs such as these help parents, and even children, cope with the status of poverty to make them aware that they must dutifully work hard to make a living. They could put up a business with the arts and crafts they learn from Gawad Kalinga.

Tags: Gawad Kalinga, Filipino NGOs, Livelihood Projects, Philippine News,