Hope. Bayani. Love – (By JR Diaz, GK YGAT2010 Coordinator) What do these words mean to us? At one point in my life, I thought I knew the extent and magnitude of what these words meant. However, it was only through the experience of my first GK YGAT* in January 2008 when the true meaning of these three words became clear and evident to me. Volunteers and beneficiaries, Australians and Filipinos: digging together, mixing cement together, trenching and laying hollow blocks side by side all working towards one common goal – to bring hope for a better future to the poor through a cooperative effort to improve living conditions and foster relationships spanning domestically and globally.

2008 was the first year GK YGAT split into the three main groups – LVM (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao). Being in team Visayas (“go Visayas!”), we encountered a non-Tagalog dialect but somehow, through improvised hand signals we were able to communicate with the locals and form deep connections with them. The main villages we visited were in Bacolod: ERH GK Village & Sinagayan Village. Here we tackled tasks of farming (with the help of caribou), painting, laying foundations for two GK houses and also preparing the ground for a six-feet deep septic tank.

One vivid memory I have from the build was when we were about four-feet deep in the septic tank that we were digging. Our only tools were four shovels and two rusty metallic picks. It was around 2pm and the harsh heat of the afternoon sun was at its fiercest but we continued to dig because it was our last day at that village. All thirty of us took turns and relieved the tired so we could get through as much as we could on our last day. The temperature was in its mid-thirties and humidity was high. We were all sweating and exhausted. Then I remember seeing this little local kid no older than seven, who had been watching us for the last two days, suddenly walk towards us. Without saying a single word, he jumped down into the pit and picked up one of the spare shovels (which was much taller than him) and started to dig. Witnessing this simple action sparked a fire and willingness in our hearts to go on. Eventually more kids came down to help, carrying dirt and digging – all of us side by side. It was a funny, warming and encouraging sight for this little boy to open up his own heart to us through such a simple deed. For him to have crossed his own boundary and courageously lend a helping hand was very inspiring and in turn, I realized the effect that we had as volunteers to these people in the village. We too were crossing our own boundaries (physical and emotional) to help these people – our fellow Filipino brothers and sisters. And it was at this point in time when I saw the ‘hope’ for future generations to come.

Last year was my first year to come to GK YGAT and having already heard a lot people’s experiences I immersed myself in the program with an open heart and with no expectations. And with that I have come to learn and embrace many things. As a Filipino, I have come to appreciate my heritage more and be proud of my background. As a Catholic, I have come to see the immense ‘hope’ and ‘love’ that the Holy Spirit brings to those in need. And as a person, I have come to see life more clearly and I now strive to take more value in the simple things that God has given me.

Before my GK YGAT experience, I was tempted to think that the problem of eradicating poverty was too great and too impossible of a task. Being in a country so blessed with opportunities, I was sometimes misled to think that poverty was so disparate from my world and that ‘someone else’ would take care of it. Now I know that poverty is REAL. It is real for you and I – for all of us. Now I am inspired to be a bayani (hero), to be a bearer of hope for the poor, and to be a part of the movement to liberate the poor from poverty.  I invite you to be a hero for your mother country and join us for GK YGAT - Philippines 2010!

“One person at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time…”

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*The GK Youth Great Adventure Tour (GK YGAT) is a program run by GK youth members to allow young people to travel overseas to developing countries to make a difference and be bearers of hope through living and working with the poor, building houses and forming relationships.

It started in 2004 and runs throughout the year to places such as the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

For more details of upcoming GK YGATs, email gkygat@gk-youth.org or contact:
-    Josanne Musa on 0450 416 252  for Papua New Guinea (September 6-20, 2009)
-    JR Diaz on 0405 202 531 for Philippines (January 16-30, 2010)

You can also find information of other activities of GK Youth at www.gk-youth.org

Gawad Kalinga (GK) translated into English means “to give care”. Starting in the Philippines, it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world.

What started in 1995 as an initiative by Couples for Christ to rehabilitate juvenile gang members and help out-of-school youth, has now evolved into a movement for nation-building. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry, and as a result, providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

To date GK is in over 2000 communities all over the Philippines and its holistic approach is being used as a template in other developing countries such as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

For more information visit www.gawadkalinga.org