7th GPLE Completes Installation of Solar Street La

7th GPLE Completes Installation of Solar Street Lamps

in Alllights Villages in Nueva Ecija

The 7th Global Peace Leadership Exchange (GPLE) in Nueva Ecija assembled 70 delegates from 5 nations – Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and completed the installation of 38 solar street lamps in 13 Alllights Village communities in Nueva Ecija. The exchange program was held on July 9-12, 2012 at Sitio Nambabakalan, Brgy. General Luna, Rizal, Nueva Ecija.

7^th GPLE delegates are welcomed by children of Alllights Village in Nambabakalan, Gen. Luna.

The Provincial Government of Nueva Ecija welcomed the delegates with a luncheon banquet and hotel accommodation at Sierra Madre Suites, Palayan City. Speaking in behalf of Nueva Ecija governor, Mr. Michael Calma, the chief of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), delivered a warm welcoming message thanking GPF and encouraging everyone to persist until the completion of Alllights Village model communities are built.

Mr. Sung Nak Cho, chairman of Alllights Village Project Korea, responded with full conviction, inspiring everyone to work towards “One Family under God” in building model communities through the Alllights Village Project. After speaking, Mr. Cho handed over 10 solar street lamps to the mayor of Rizal, Hon. Eugenio Placido Jr., for the 4 Alllights Village sitios in his municipality.

The Alllights Village project in the Philippines has inspired other Asian GPF chapters to organize Alllights Village projects in their nations, and so they came in order to experience community immersion. Mr. Aya Goto of GPFF Japan, Ms. Pick Ching Fong of GPF Malaysia, and Mrs. Yor Ching Poon of GPF Indonesia all had wonderful experiences during the 7th GPLE.

The delegates and staffs arrived at Sitio Nambabakalan mid-afternoon. They were eagerly and warmly received by the residents of the village, especially the children. After being introduced to their “brotherhood and sisterhood” partners, the newfound families trekked half a kilometer to reach the tree planting site. The children of the village once again wrote their dreams in the “dream tags” and hung them onto the seedlings, hoping that as the seedlings grow to become trees their dreams would turn to reality. Home visitation followed with the delegates being taken by the hand and brought to their partners’ humble homes. Through home visiting, the Korean donors were able to personally witness how valuable the solar portable lamps are to the beneficiary-families.

During the Brotherhood and Sisterhood Ceremony program, a grade 5 pupil from General Luna Elementary School conveyed her heartfelt gratitude to the project and its implementers. “We can study well at night and we don’t need those poor twinkling light of our kerosene lamps for we have brighter and safer source,” said Irene Dela Cruz. She also thanked GPF, the Koreans who donated the solar lamps, and all the people who helped in the project. “Now that we have light, we no longer fear the night,” she concluded.

In addition to this gratitude, Mr. Michael Calma, thanked all the staffs of GPF in Korea and Philippines for choosing Nueva Ecija as a venue for the project implementation.

At present, 460 families and 9 sitios of Nueva Ecija have received solar portable lamps and street lamps from GPF’s Alllights Village project.