People might have seen Gawad Kalinga's ad on TV- a poor boy blessed with a newly-built home, thanking Gawad Kalinga by saying: "Mahalaga pa rin pala ang buhay ko." This creates the impression of Gawad Kalinga helping the poor by providing them more descent houses.
But there is more in Gawad Kalinga, which cannot just be condensed into a 30-second TV ad. It is not just a factory of houses for the poor but more of a catalyst in transforming the country into a restored Philippines. It is more than feeding the hungry, healing the sick, educating the ignorant, and sheltering the homeless. More than that, it is not spoon-feeding the poor with fish but teaching them how to fish.
Some might say that its vision of building 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities within the next 7 years is a radical idea-bold, daring, or even impossible! Amazingly, however, around 230GK sites have emerged all over the country, so fast when it seemed just an illusion when it was envisioned only in 1999 by the Couples for Christ (CFC) National Council.
It is more than a miracle when donations are pouring in not only from " padugo " of the CFC's contributions but also from the government agencies such as the Department of Tourism, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Health, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Pag-ibig Fund, and the Philippine Sweepstakes and Charity Office; from senators and congressmen; from governors and mayors from the local government units; from NGO's; from foreign embassies; from private corporations; and even from foreign individuals. More so, last 2002; President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo released some P30M from the President's Social Fund to build one thousand houses.
This inspiring reality does not just end with transforming poor communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao into Gawad Kalinga (GK) Villages with brightly painted GK homes and landscaped gardens.
Moreover, Tony Meloto, GK Executive Director and one of the seven members of the council, says: " The evidence of God's hand is everywhere. We have seen transformation in just few years. And the transformation has not just been in the way the whole communities have been beautified and energized. Hearts have been transformed as well-the hearts of the poor and, more important for us in the community, the heart of those who serve."
That is the beauty of GK's movement. It does not cure poverty of the temporal needs but it also restores the poverty of the heart and soul.
Along with home building, GK offers a holistic program for education, livelihood, health, cleanliness, and value-formation.
Tony adds, " The reason why other organizations have failed in sustaining their own program for the poor is simply-the poor still had no decent home to call their own. Even if we bombard the poor with education, feeding, and livelihood programs, but do not do anything to improve their environment, it will still be difficult for them to get out of the vicious cycle of poverty. The poor have to imbibe the vision of change and be catalyzed into acting by themselves and for themselves. Having a decent shelter, seeing their children being taught for a better future, and being able to earn a living empower the poor and give them the motivation to translate their dream into reality."
" On the other hand, Tony continues, " if we build only homes for them but neglect to provide the basic values of education, cleanliness, self-help, reaching out to others, and self-organization, then the result is still the same. The poor will still fall back into the morass of self-pity and self-destruction."
As such, GK touches the totality of nation restoration. It transforms slums to clean, beautiful communities; violence to peace; sickness to health; liability to asset; despair to hope; mendicancy to self-reliance.
Recently, I myself have been immersed into this revolutionary vision. Funny but I'm standing on a double role, since I'm a CFC member at the same time, the barangay I'm living in was just chosen to be a project site of Gawad Kalinga. I'm both into the service team and among the recipients of GK's blessings.
Last October, series of seminars, medical and dental missions, and election of officers have progressed. Though it has not been easy, it has been a good start. It is very challenging to convince everyone to participate and to build trust and goodwill among the GK members and the recipients. But seeing that each da, more and more hands are joining and cooperating in this commitment, is already a continuing hope.
As newly elected secretary of our soon-to-be GK subdivision ( Kapitbahayan), I am positive that the hope that has been planted and sprung into other communities will also happen to us and to other poor communities throughout the country. Through cooperation, volunteerism, and bayanihan, the inspiration that some has come our way will lead to a chain of nationwide restoration-in body, mind, heart and soul of every Filipino.
Source: Ugnayan, Vol.XIV Nos.2,4,5 and 6
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