Volunteers brave the heat and converge for the Summer Solstice Build

GK will also be part of the Maasin City Division “Brigada Eskwela 2013” by way of mural painting along the walls of the Maasin City Central School along the Espina Blvd fronting the Maasin City Beach.

This activity will warm up caretaker teams (CTTs), Kapitbahayans (KBs) and volunteers for the year-long activities leading to the BAYANI CHALLENGE 2014.

>> Find out what happened during the Bayani Challenge 2013

The KBs of the Berjaya-GK Village warmly welcome the GK Head as he celebrates his birthday with them during the Summer Solstice Build.

Jose Amorin and Roger Garcia, both KB presidents from nearby GK villages, have the same reasons for joining the Summer Solstice Build in the Berjaya-GK Village in Malitbog Southern Leyte – to meet, welcome, and help their new “blood brothers” build their community. Jose Amorin and 30 of his Kapitbahayan men, women and SIGA rode in habal-habals (motorcycles) from the GK LAO Village. The village was 30 km away from the site, and they brought with them food to share with the rest of the builders. Roger Garcia also brought 15 Kapitbahayans (who also happened to be skilled workers) riding a government-owned vehicle lent to them by the Mayor of Bontoc, Southern Leyte. Ernie Capapas, a KB-turned-project director coming from faraway GK AIG Village in Manlico, Hinunangan also brought 10 of his skilled workers riding single motorcycles for the 95-km trip to the site.

Not to be outdone by the generosity of the GK Head, the KBs and CTTs prepared sumptuous food to feed the 300 more volunteers.

What was most inspiring is the presence of the GK Head, Jerome Paler, who decided to spend his 44th birthday with the KBs and CTTs on the site. He waived previous plans of holding a party for his family and friends and instead spent the whole day at the site. Not to be outdone by the generosity of the GK Head, the KBs themselves prepared sumptuous native food for the 300 volunteers to feast on. They held an impromptu honoring to the birthday celebrant giving him flowers and gifts. Tita Pina Escano, one of the heirs who owned the donated lot also prepared food for the volunteers.

The day ended with a closing prayer of thanksgiving for the faith-enhancing and inspiring build, and the volunteers went home with full stomachs and overflowing hearts.

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Gawad Kalinga is not a charity, rather, it's an organization that aims to end poverty by building empowered and productive communities. This would not be possible without the partners and volunteers who have journeyed with us in changing the lives of others. Like Berjaya, you too can be a hero to the poorest of the poor and partner with us in making sure that no one is left behind.

Last October 2012, the Berjaya Group through the Berjaya Philippines Group of Companies set a high bar for corporate commitment when they pledged to give P100 million a year (for 3 years) to Gawad Kalinga in order to help the Filipino people rebuild their homes and uplift their lives. The initial P44 million given by Berjaya is now being used to build the first 100 homes for Typhoon Pablo survivors in Compostela Valley, a peaceful Muslim-Christian community in Basilan, and GK communities in 9 out of the 37 Bayani Challenge sites all over the Philippines.

The Berjaya-GK Village of Pasil, Malitbog is one of these 9 sites, and beyond the Bayani Challenge, it is fast becoming a place of convergence of volunteerism and unity among GK residents, caretaker teams and volunteers around Southern Leyte.