GK ROCKS INDONESIA

by Jose Ma. Montelibano

The Gawad Kalinga Congress and Concert held last August 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia was a rousing success. Led by GKOM National from the Philippines, the event featured a 2-hour GK presentation with content coming from the two GK sites in Jakarta. It moved the audience to tears. The Secretary of the Ministry of Housing Noer Soetrisno graced the event. Strongly moved, he said he would take up Gawad Kalinga with the Indonesian Vice President and was setting a meeting with GK Indonesia to enter into a long-term partnership. The prime movers of GK Indonesia, composed mainly of Couples for Christ, are shifting the GK work to their Indonesian members after the Filipino expatriates had set the pace in the last two years. GK Indonesia had already sent delegates to the GK Congress last June. Prior to the event, the GK team committed to build 490 GK villages by 2010. But after the GK Indonesia event and encouraged by GK Executive director Tony Meloto, they were challenged to build more. Now, their target is to have 2,000 GK villages in their country. Gawad Kalinga is the gift of the Filipino to the poor of the world. Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia will show the way for the Asian region, while India, Africa and Central America will be the future GK continents.