GSE 1999: Rotary Districts 5130 and 3780

April 6, 1999

I'm writing to you after our 10th day in Quezon city, District 3780, comprised of 84 clubs. Quezon City is adjacent to Manila and much larger than Manila itself. We have stayed with the same people the entire time and visited several schools, city hall, and a training center where the differently abled (disabled) have an opportunity to be self sufficient.

We have had incredible exchanges with students, teachers and principals. Rotary here has had a great influence on these institutions and supports their efforts.

Since 1994 these Rotary clubs are trying to introduce Youth Service as the fifth area of service in Rotary worldwide. Rotary already has Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service and International Service. In the Rotary manual, Youth Service is under Community service, but here they have separated RYLA, Interact, and Rotaract programs because they want more emphasis on Youth. Their slogan is: TODAY'S YOUTH ARE TOMORROW'S LEADERS.

One club in particular has been very active in the Rotary support of schools. This is Ed Ugaddan's club of Neopolitan Fairview. They organized Rotary Village Corps in several schools, ranging from primary school to high school, private school to public school. "We make the school as if it were a community," said Ed, "so that teachers, parents and students are involved."

They started Rotakids (for ages 6 to 13), Interact (for ages 14 to 18) and Rotaract (ages 18 to 30). This is to introduce youth to Rotary community involvement.

They have several of these clubs, some being "community based" and some being school based. The clubs involved in the school have the school as the recipient of the services. For instance, tree planting, zero waste management (recycling), fundraisers such as cake raffles and feeding the underfed.

Rotary is also deeply involved in helping the physically challenged. One program is a training center for the differently abled. This was started through a combination of funds raised by the participants and Rotary funds. Basically what the workshop does is produce chairs and tables, employing up to 25 differently abled persons through fulfilling government contracts. This is a pilot program which has now 6 more training centers following their prototype.

This will be especially interesting to Santa Rosa West Rotarians because in the past they have provided money for school chairs in Costa Rica. Wouldn't it be incredible if Rotary International not only provided money but also jobs for the disabled through this model of training center by having the disabled produce these chairs.

One step further, the Costa Rica chairs have the Rotary symbol on the back of them. This training center had not thought of doing this, and are considering doing this in the future, which may entice obtaining Rotary cooperation and support.

This center is very creative and enterprising. For instance, they needed computers for their basic services. When they finally obtained 5 computers they immediately put up a sign "Computer Center" and now do computer services in addition to their routine usage of those computers and are making a profit from them.

And Rotary has hired this training center to build gates for the elementary school for children with disabilities, which Rotary also sponsors and supports. This encourages the training center to expand projects such as welding iron fences for homes.

One of the most incredible things we have witnessed relates to VALUES. Values' classes start at preschool through grade school, high school and college on a daily basis. Values are integrated into the curriculum as well as having their own curriculum in daily lessons. Classes are situational where students dramatize responses to social situations. The schools believe "VALUES ARE CAUGHT NOT TAUGHT." It is obvious in the behaviors of the young people with whom we have interacted.

Yes, Rotary has a MAJOR presence in this part of the Philippines but is having internal problems. They have had a 10% reduction in membership recently. We have not been to, or presented at, any Rotary meetings although we have met the District Governor. Tomorrow will be our first presentation at a meeting. Later this week we will fly to a Tri-District Rotaract conference.

We visited the island of Marinduque for 5 days, staying in the capitol city of Boac. All of us stayed with a Rotary family. This was the time of the Lenten season and was represented by Passion Plays, processions and Masses. The re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ plus the Moriones festival was INCREDIBLE.

We apologize for taking so long to get in touch, but between transmissions, lines and connections, we could not get through. Now we have access for future transmissions. Everyone is doing fine. Because the Rotary symbol is recognized everywhere, we feel welcomed by the community. This cultural exchange has filled us with wonder.

Hanggang sa muli! Til we meet again!

Neil Silverman, Team Leader
Via Email

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