Written by Kuya Harvard
U! Happy Events does its events to provide value integration and support to its partner foundations and organizations. But what is its main benefit to its members? Well besides self fulfillment, we do it to learn from our partners, other volunteers and even to the kids and their families.
This Christmas gift giving caravan stands out among other events for the learning we got from it. As we all know Gawad Kalinga is an established organization nationwide. They have built 3,000 communities and around 35,000 all over the country! We got much stories from their experiences that can help U! become a better foundation for kids in the future!
GK does not only build houses, they also build lives of every person in the community. Their focus is built on their principle of Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao and Maka-bayan. Every individual is not only taught how to be better but also be empowered enough to stand on their on feet. GK’s focus on value formation enable them to live the life a Filipino should.
Since we were focus on Kids, we were introduced to their SIbol and Sagip group. SIbol means to start right and Sagip to help and nurture children. We went to 5 GK villages in Rizal area and have witnessed how these kids are different from other communities we have been to.
Gawad Kalinga also has Siga or to ingite for the teens and young adults. Their Sikap which focuses on providing opportunities is targeted to adults who are single. We were amazed by how sustainable their programs were. They were into full development of people. We didn’t know these before we partnered with them. 🙂
We went to the sites with the GK team. This team is composed of 6 people who do it for free and 1 person who was very capable but yet choose to be full time and get a lower salary. Despite of this, they were very passionate about serving and reaching out to Filipinos. Truly an admirable trait.
U! Happy events exist to fuel existing programs, not make new ones. We were glad that our donations from our sponsors worth 85,000 pesos went to the right group. We still look forward to future partnerships with them. 🙂
Thank U! to our sponsors Shell Philippines, Fly Ace Corporation and OTTO Shoes. 🙂
