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Speech in the Legislative Assembly
7 May 2009
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of learning about the great work undertaken by Gawad Kalinga. Gawad Kalinga is a transformational organisation that brings hope and opportunity to thousands, if not millions of people throughout the world.
Alistair Coe and Tony Meloto on 5 May 2009
The founder of the organisation, Tony Meloto is an inspiration to all and we were very fortunate to have him address a gathering here at the ACT Legislative Assembly. He spoke about his motivation for setting up the organisation, the partnerships he has formed and the achievements his organisation has recorded.
Gawad Kalinga translated means simply to ‘give care’. The organisation started work in one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest countries in the world – the Philippines. Gawad Kalinga stepped in when the Government didn’t – and has helped to transform some of the slum areas of the Phillipines.
The organisation builds basic concrete steel framed houses to replace the cardboard boxes and galvanised sheets that are used by slum dwellers. The construction of the houses is made possible through the generous support of land owners, sponsors, volunteers, and the eventual residents and neighbours. The houses are bright colours and include provision for electricity and water. The cost of homes is paid back in part by those who live in them through what is known as “sweat equity” – they help build the houses of others.
The organisation has a bold target of 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in 7 years.
This is a bold task but one they can meet.
However, the project is more than that. It is about building communities that are sustainable in every way. Gawad Kalinga has an education program that ensures children receive a pre-school, primary school, and vocational education. The Livelihood program helps use the land to farm for the benefit of the whole community. Volunteers for Gawad Kalinga monitor the health of everyone in the villages and ensure that all residents understand nutrition and hygiene.
In addition to literally building bridges, the organisation bridges the divisions separating communities:
- From people divided by faiths to a cohesiveness and supportive community
- From homelessness to shelter
- From no-hope to education and opportunity
Tony firmly believes in concept of mutual obligation: that everything is a two way street.
Rather than the conventional model of charity, Tony believes in fostering partnerships: partnerships between donors, residents, builders, corporations, volunteers – anyone.
Travelling with Tony is John Roberts, President of the Heal the World organisation. The organisation is committed to helping those in disadvantaged situations by providing the necessary tools to further their own development. Heal the World is a partner organisation of Gawad Kalinga.
The model has been so successful it has been expanded to other countries, and funds raised in Australia have been used recently to help construct a village in Papua New Guinea.
I am grateful for the opportunity I had to meet Tony and John and learn about their initiatives. It shows once again how individual enterprise and charity can help communities achieve significant and successful outcomes. It demonstrates that Government doesn’t always know best, and when it works with local communities through consultation and engagement can achieve tangible results for the benefit of local communities.
I would also like to say a special thank you to George Lemon and his colleagues on the Canberra Committee. They are part of GK ANCOP – an Australian non-profit organisation that raises funds for Gawad Kalinga projects. They were the drivers behind recent events which raised significant funds for the organisation. Their selfless commitment to the organisation means more and more underprivileged families can move out of the slums and into housing, have an education, work for a livelihood, and most importantly receive care.
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