The Rotary Club of Oberon nominated local Joanne Barton to participate in the Rotary District 9700 Group Study Exchange (GSE) program for 2011 to Rotary District 3830 in the Philippines.
Joanne said she had the experience of a lifetime and made lifelong friends after spending 33 days in the Philippines on the exchange. The team was led by Rotarian past president Graeme McLean from Orange Daybreak Rotary Club, and Joanne was accompanied by Elizabeth Skipworth, an accountant from Lake Cargelligo, Dane Hendry, an engineer with Parkes RTA, and Frank Dyrssen, a mechanical engineer from Griffith Council.
The GSE program provides a unique cultural and vocational experience for young business people and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40. It is a travel experience which allows the participants to gain a broader understanding of other nationalities, their culture and way of life, while also gaining a greater appreciation of Rotary and the projects it assists.
The GSE team flew out on February 18 and spent most of their time based around Manila. They spent Monday to Friday on vocational visits, where Joanne had the opportunity to visit local councils and see how they operated. The group also visited over 15 Rotary clubs and participants were able to see the projects they were carrying out in the community, such as facilities at schools, orphanages, re-location projects for poverty stricken families and improving community access to water.
Group members were hosted by Rotary families during their visit. “We were on the road by 8am, sometimes earlier, and depending on the itinerary were often out until midnight or the wee hours. We became experts at power napping and have realised that it is possible to sleep just about anywhere! While the itinerary was certainly gruelling, it was also extremely rewarding, both personally and professionally,” Joanne said.
But it wasn’t all work. The GSE program provided a number of tourist events, such as a weekend on the island of Palawan where the group caught up on some well deserved “r and r”, taking in a tour of the Underground River, which is currently nominated for the world’s next natural wonder, and snorkelling, as well as visiting the mouth of the Taal volcano in Tagaytay on horseback.
Joanne said a real highlight for her was meeting the people. Some 87 per cent of people in the Philippines live in poverty and she said it was extremely confronting to see the conditions many people lived in. Joanne said there were areas where families were living in makeshift houses made of scrap tin and materials, and were having to use hand pumps to access water. Despite this, the kids living in slums with no water, electricity, or material belongings were still smiling, laughing and singing.
“It was the hardest part to deal with, seeing the poverty, and it put your mind in a spin seeing the huge difference between the socio-economic classes,” Joanne said. “It was definitely an eye-opening experience, and has made me aware how lucky we are in Australia, and how we take things for granted.”
Joanne said her trip really reinforced the power and importance of social media. “It is brilliant that technology is able to break down the tyranny of distance and social classes. The schools and communities aren’t able to fund well- resourced libraries, there simply isn’t the money, however, with one computer and an internet connection, the communities can access the world. It means the world to me that I can keep in contact with the people I have met, especially the kids. To communicate via the traditional methods of telephone or even post would be outside of some of the people’s means, but at the press of a
button stories can be exchanged across the world.”
Joanne said the group now will do a number of presentations to Rotary clubs, and will provide a written report to Rotary International about members’ experiences.
“I would just like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the Rotary Club of Oberon for nominating me for the program and for District 9700’s sponsorship. I would also encourage any community member interested in knowing more about Rotary or the programs it is involved with to contact the local club.”
Email a friend