Work Attachment at Gawad Kalinga (Shruti)

Gawad Kalinga Hope initative

When I first chose GK as my work attachment taskforce I was clueless and I basically thought it was an organisation that raises funds and builds homes for the poor. However in the very first meeting with the program coordinator I was proved wrong.

Gawad Kalinga is an international charity organisation that aims to help the poor families live in bright, colourful and conducive homes. 

Before GKH enters the slum, the people there generally are territorial and uncaring the extreme hunger and poverty makes them undignified and succumbing to the harsh circumstances of poverty but GKHi builds homes for these people teaches them to care for one another and nurtures a caring community.

Gawad Kalinga as I realise now is all about the people. It doesn’t do work just for the sake of building homes to improve the living standards of those in the slums. 

It empowers the people by showing them that they can live a better life by taking up this opportunity. Apart from building homes the GKHi gives each family a specific plot of land and they can choose if they want to grow cash crops or crops for consumption. What I really like about the organisation is that it empowers people. It shows them they have a choice in moulding their own future. This way the slum people will feel dignified and will work even harder to come out of the poverty situation.

Furthermore the full time workers like Mr. Paulo and Ms. Rina are really passionate about the work they do. The people who work here also strongly believe in working for this cause because they want to end poverty and by being the brothers’ keeper. 

In this way a caring and cohesive community is nurtured. Their stories are inspiring and we as interns can see the bigger picture, that is the need to support and champion the cause for what it is and not merely for fund-raising.

The organisation way of tackling the problem of problem is also really commendable because it teaches the poor to be self-sufficient and live with dignity. They do so by playing a part in contributing to the construction of the homes instead of just sitting there waiting for it to be handed to them.

To conclude Gawad Kalinga as its name implies gives care and its work is beyond each individuals’ own materialistic selfish goals and it aims to bring up a community of people who are there for each other and progress as one community.

-Shruti