Service Pro
gramme at Dumpsite
The team’s first activity in Philippines was a visit to a Dumpsite in Pangasinan. The families whose home is the dumpsite, survived by selling scraps that they picked from the rubbish dumps. However, they often suffered from cuts by the glass shreds embedded in the rubbish. Therefore, the team brought Crocs shoes and bandages that were given by sponsors.The team also brought welfare packs to bless the families staying at the dumpsite. These welfare packs contained biscuits, food items and soft toys which were all obtained through donations in Singapore.
Water tank project
In the period of May-June, it is the hottest period in Anda, Philippines. During this time, the village wells will dry up. Without their main source of water, the village would have to buy water from other villages. Therefore, the construction of the water tank aims to solve this problem. Although the water tank will not be able to serve the entire village, we all agreed it was a good start.
Soccer Clinic with the local school
Basketball is a common sport that most Filipinos play. However, they have very little knowledge about the game, soccer. Therefore, the team decided to conduct soccer clinics to spark the interest of the children. The team taught the children simple drills and rules of the game. We also brought over soccer balls that were sponsored and left it with the school so that the children can continue playing.
Home stay with the locals
The team was divided into groups of 2 to stay with a local family for 2 days 1 night. The team was briefed on the objective of this activity. They were encouraged to immerse themselves into the culture and lifestyle of the locals. As Filipinos are predominantly Christians, the team was also encouraged to attend church with the families. This activity left a positive impression on the entire team.
Friendship games and feeding Programme
Together with the Filipino volunteers, the team prepared snacks and drinks to distribute to the children in the village. During the feeding program, we played childhood games like Hopscotch, Eagle & chicks, Piñata, Straw relay and sack race.
Singapore Food Festival
As a form of cultural exchange with the Filipinos, the team planned a dinner which consists of local delicacies. The team prepared Bak Kut Teh, Chicken rice and Tang yuan for the Filipino volunteers. The team also sang local songs like “Home” during the dinner.
Closing ceremony and campfire night
The team planned a multi-racial dance performance for the closing ceremony. During this performance, 8 members showcased the Chinese, Malay and Indian Costume while performing a 30 sec dance item. The remaining team members performed the cup song together with the children from the village in a mass performance.
Educational tour to salt farm and mangroves planting
Together with the Filipinos, the team visited the salt farm to learn more about the agricultural practices of the locals. We also visited the mangroves to learn more about the mangrove conservation project organised by the government. During the mangrove visit, the team helped remove weeds that were impeding the growth of the mangroves.
Testimonials
HUIMIN
I wanted to join this trip initially to learn grow discover and most importantly make a difference so that I will spend this summer holiday meaningfully. I understand that there is very little we can do in a short span of just 2 weeks and that we could be more of a burden than help due to our lack of skills or expertise in certain area like construction. However, we had all strive to contribute as much as we can and do things within our means. For things that we do not know how to do we learn so that we can provide our service and contributions. The things we do may be as simple as teaching the kids soccer, playing with them, participating in feeding programmes, however I feel that we did made an impact no matter how small or big. As someone once said we all feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean will be less because of that missing drops. We all had played our part and most of us had even gone beyond our roles to do extra. I had really learned a lot throughout this trip.
The first impact the trip has on me is when we visit the dumpsite. I was stunned as I had never seen so many flies before in my whole life. The kids there have left a huge impression on me as well. They are very happy, full of love and open. The community there is also very tightly bonded. The older kids will take care of the younger kids and I remember one kid bringing me to another family and she saw the 2-3yr old kid crying she told me that is her baby and she carry the kid up and hold her in her arms. It was really heart-warming that they were happy and had so much love for each other but at the same time it was heart-breaking that they are living in such poor conditions. I strongly believe that education is the solutions for these kids for them to break out of the poverty cycle and I am glad that some of the kids are going to school once the school term starts.
The second impact the trip has on me is the killing of the goat. I was shocked when they told us to witness the killing of the goat. I didn’t really see much as my view was quite blocked but I still see the blood gushing out of the goat and I could hear the crying of the goat. It is the first time I hear a goat cry. Then Sir Marvin explained to us why they do that. I remember him saying that the purpose of the goat for now is to sacrifice for us. It will become part of us when we eat it and it will extend our life. It really inspired me to do something meaningful with my life from now onwards as my life is extended by all these sacrifices, so I cannot waste it and need to make the sacrifices worthwhile.
Throughout the programmes and activities I had also learnt to be more appreciative and to be more open to people by taking the first step to reach out to them because on the first day at YMCA Pangasinan during dinner, all the Filipino Campers took the initiative to talk to us and sit at our table but none of the Singaporeans do that. I had also break free from the reserved culture of Singapore and join them in their singing and dancing. It had showed me a different way of life. It had made me realised how all the small simple things could bring so much enjoyment. It also taught me to really connect with the people who are around me there and then as the lack of wifi connection there has forced us to ditched our phones aside and really bond with those people around us.
MARCUS
A change that I made is definitely using less water than before! Hope that all is well for you too. Yeah, I got to admit Singapore is pretty awesome.
Before the trip, during the first meeting, we were asked to record down our aims for the trip. And I recall mine was something like.. to experience and visit the Philippines. I cannot remember if I wrote anything more! After that I felt kind of guilty because I saw the objectives as what I seek to gain, and not what I seek to give. Something like “Bringing smiles/cheers” was very inspirational.
For this trip, being the prologs co IC, I got to admit it was a giant mess before we went. We did not know much about what was going to happen, hence I saw little point in planning to the most minute detail. Also, being a graduating student, the mindset just was not right before the trip. It felt more like a relaxation trip rather than an extension of the rigour during academic term. Think that explained why I was very slack regarding many things. But I did meet 2 capable girls to attempt cooking chicken rice, and met the team to do a dry run of the activities. Though it is called a dry run, but I think it was much more of a bonding session, where we got to know each other better. Truth be told, I felt that we do not have enough time during regular meetings to become closer. It is normal though, as it is expected the trip is the biggest bonding session.
For this trip, I met many people special. However, my homestay brother, Jeremy, left a very deep impression on me. He is younger than me, but he felt like an older brother. From the energy he shows during construction, basketball, his faith, and his life & goals, he has inspired me to make changes to my life. Hearing about his life and the Filipinos, has allowed me to feel so fortunate and blessed. During the homestay, they commented I was so lucky to have never experienced a tropical storm before. It is a blessing indeed to be here in Singapore.
At the end of the trip, we always wish we can do more. It is natural human reaction. Being there for only 2 weeks, there is limited impact of our actions. I now fully understand what it means to take away from them more than what we can teach them. They have taught me a whole lot more than I can teach them. I gained so much in terms of intangibles. That said, I feel that the fun and joy we brought to them was beneficial. I hope we inspired them to dream, and to see us again in the future.
Improvements wise, I feel that I could have helped Daniel more. Being the co-IC but running a distinct group (C&A), I tended not to interfere in how he runs things for Y&A. I am appreciative too if he did the same. That is not to say that I do not value his comments, but I believe that I would have considered and integrated his ideas into our plans. During discussions, when it got excessively quiet, I could have stepped up to lead the discussion. There was just a dilemma between interfering and helping. That brings me to my next point, that the co-ICs idea is not that feasible. I do not know if it is true, but I guess it was just a stroke of luck that 2 ICs ran the activities separately over there. Please correct me if I am wrong! The responsibility was on us to work together, but I feel that there are excessive delays when it comes to making a decision. There is a need for one voice to make the decision, that of the leader. Just a personal opinion though, to have one IC, but depending on the trip and programme, it might really be necessary to have more than one!
My personal objectives were achieved, and I am thankful for everyone else who helped me along the way. I hope that we can remember the lessons that we learnt. May we be rich in life, not just material possessions.
CELINE
Before going on this trip, I had no expectations because I was unsure of what to expect. Some personal objectives I set for myself was to serve overseas and give the best I can for the community within the short span of 14 days. Also, stepping out of my comfort zone and adapt to entirely different environments. I hoped to grow as a person, learn to appreciate what I have in Singapore and live in a slower pace of life.
This trip, I met many inspiring individuals and one of which that left an impression on me was a 4 year old girl i met at the dumpsite. I was curious on why her parents allow her to collect materials to sell in the hazard-filled dumpsite barefooted and she answered us, if she don’t go out to collect materials, she will not have food to eat. It hit me because at 4 years old, she was worried about her own meals and had to work for her meals. It made me reflect on what I was doing when I was 4 years old and also the kids in Singapore. We did not have to worry about our meals at such young age because our parents will feed us.
Overall in this trip, I have learnt a significant bit of things that I can’t imagine learning if I were to stay in Singapore this holidays. Learning the boundaries of myself and also, learning much more about the people in the team. I saw true humanity and love from the Filipino campers and the community in Anda. Life was so simple with no distractions from our electronic gadgets, yet everyone was truly happy. This trip was a humbling experience and I am definitely inspired and motivated to go on more International Service Programs.
The team would like to offer their heartfelt appreciation to all the Filipino volunteers, generous sponsors, NTU and YMCA. Without them, this trip would not have been so successful. 🙂
Uni-y NTU ISP 