US Gawad Kalinga meets Pinoy journalists
While most are under the impression that Filipinos who have migrated to America have forgotten their roots in the Philippines, the volunteers of Gawad Kalinga-USA think otherwise.
“It is because we love the Philippines that we do this. We have never forgotten what it was like,” said Tess Castro.
GK-USA is a small group of Filipino-Americans living in the United States that works in partnership with Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines, seeking help to make planned projects a reality.
But they are quick to say that help comes in all forms, not just money.
“We never pass the hat,” Castro told visiting Filipino journalists on a reporting tour organized by the Foreign Press Center of the US State Department.
Volunteers believe that what sets them apart from other non-profits is their emphasis on values formation.
For Marga Tolentino, things go downhill socially and economical- ly without the right values. She said they work with key Filipino values in mind such as “walang iwanan” and “bayanihan” to reach their goal of helping five million families have homes by 2024.
Beneficiaries are taught to help out, having to put in time to build someone else’s house before they can own their home.
The group’s members say that they have to be passionate about what they do if they want to reach their goal.
Not one earns a salary from their work and all of them are volunteers who spend their free time organizing fund-raising events. Members assured that nearly all the money goes to the projects, with some 10 percent left to cover operational costs.
The organization was glad to be recognized for being one of the more transparent and credible organizations receiving donations for victims of super typhoon Yolanda.
Castro added that with 2,000 GK villages in the Philippines, they have a contingent of volunteers in place whenever disasters strike, making it easy for them to mobilize people and start relief work immediately.
Many Filipino-Americans are also finding a connection to their Filipino roots with Gawad Kalinga.
Timothy Palanca shared that he struggled with identity when he was young, saying that while his parents were both Filipino, he felt no real connection to the country, as most Filipinos are taught to assimilate into American culture. And while he admits to living a comfortable life, he feels he isn’t any better than most Filipinos, only that he had better opportunities growing up.
“I had a strong opportunity in life that my family in the Philippines did not. Where you were born shouldn’t matter.”
GK Orange County coordinator Lani Diamse notes that times are changing and that younger Filipinos in America are now embracing their heritage. She said that these days, people are being encouraged to be themselves and that more Filipino-American children are learning about their parents’ and grandparents’ home country.
Diamse helps organize Sikad, an annual cycling event to raise money needed to for GK projects.
She noted that even those without Filipino roots have been participating in their annual event, which has been running for 12 years. The popularity of the event has stemmed to the areas of Sta. Clarita and will soon be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in November. They hope to expand Sikad to all states supporting GKUSA.
GK-USA has seen volunteers who have no connection to the Philippines, but are convinced of their good work.
Members say that they just happened to share their experiences and then some friends decide to help out.
Tolentino said that they have something to show for donors. Anyone who wants to see where their money has gone only has to visit a GK village in the Philippines and see how their money has changed lives of a family.