The Singapore-based NGO is engaging international donors to break the cycle of poverty and malnutrition in the Philippines
By Yufei Liu
Goducate is a Non-Governmental Organization based in Singapore that helps poor communities across Asia. Beginning with a mission to Go and Educate those without access to education, they also aim to improve the lives of poverty-stricken children by providing basic needs essential to successful development.
During the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, many countries are experiencing severe food insecurity. This impact hundreds of millions of children from low-income communities, causing malnutrition. In the Philippines, 28.8% of Filipino children under age 5 experienced malnutrition due to prolonged hunger in 2019.
Nica, Totoy, and Nene are three of these children. Their father, a single parent, makes his living as a scrap collector. Due to the family’s low income, they are lucky to have a meal on the table once a day. The three siblings often spent their time asking for food in their neighborhoods or even asking strangers to help them.
To help these and other children, Goducate is providing hot, nutritious meals in targeted neighborhoods every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. “These three siblings remind us that our program matters,” explains Paul Choo, the founder of Goducate. “The program witnesses the food insecurity of many Filipino households. That’s why we care and are committed to helping their hunger for food, care, and love.”
However, Goducate’s food security goals cannot be achieved without support from overseas donors. To reach supporters outside the NGO’s home country of Singapore, Goducate partnered with Give2Asia Australia to establish a Friends Fund. Through this virtual account, Goducate’s Australian donors can easily make a gift to support their work—and receive a local tax benefit.
“Thanks to new international giving laws in Australia, high-impact charities like Goducate can now turn to Australian donors and corporations to support their programs,” said Anita Toy, Chief Representative of Give2Asia Australia. “We support poverty alleviation charities in more than 20 countries across Asia and around the world.
Thanks in part to their overseas donors, Goducate successfully served 17 communities in the first six months of 2022. Goducate will provide supplementary meals for an estimated 2,000 at-risk children in 40 communities as their funding grows. By improving food security and preventing malnutrition, Goducate’s donors are making possible a brighter future for children with healthy bodies, minds, and souls.
Learn more and support Goducate through their Friends Fund at Give2Asia Australia.