About the SAS Gawad Kalinga Club

Nearly one in five Filipinos live below the poverty line. Gawad Kalinga, meaning ‘to give care’ in Tagalog, is an organization dedicated to eradicating poverty in the Philippines through establishing sustainable villages and providing entrepreneurial programs.

Our story

The SAS GK club was established in 2010 by then-student Maiki del Rosario, who is now one of the teacher sponsors of our club!

In April 2018, after seven years of fundraising, the club reached the goal it had been working towards from the start: enough money to build our own SAS village.

In November of 2018, the GK club broke ground on the SAS GK village in Dalaguete, Cebu, which was made possible through years of fundraising and support through events like our yearly Zombie Run and GKarolling, as well as others like the Bayanihan Bash. Thanks to our amazing SAS community, we were able to reach the goal that our club had been working towards from the start, and we continue to support the village today.

The club’s end goal for the SAS Village is self-sustainability. In addition to building houses, we hope to develop facilities, education, and entrepreneurial opportunities at the village.

After a long 3-year hiatus, GK was so excited to bring back the annual tradition of the Zombie Run, in the flesh in 2022, and ever since! We are so thankful for all your support over the years - Walang Iwanan!

First and foremost, the SAS high school GK service club would like to thank the SAS community for their overwhelming, perennial support. Our SAS GK village in Dalaguete, Cebu, Philippines, has benefited significantly over the years due primarily to the success of our annual Zombie Run event.

Along the way

2010The SAS GK club is established by then-student Maiki del Rosario.
2018In April, after seven years of fundraising, the club reaches its goal of building its own village. Ground is broken in Dalaguete, Cebu that November.
2019Students on Interim are in Dalaguete in February as the first families are given the keys to their new concrete homes.
2020With campus events on hold, an at-home marathon (152 runners) and a Minecraft championship (120 players) raise about S$3,000.
2022The Zombie Run returns in the flesh after a long 3-year hiatus.
2025Zombie Run 2025 runs on a brand-new route through the new elementary school building.

Club members laying cement foundations at the SAS GK village

Club members with a group of kids from the village in the evening — Club members with kids from the SAS GK village.

What your support has done

The village was made possible by the SAS community. At the 2018 Zombie Run alone, 683 runners from grades 1 to 10 raised $21,375.52. In a typical year the run brings in around $15,000, with about 700 runners and over 100 high school students involved, alongside four different clubs.

Even in 2020, when the Zombie Run couldn't happen on campus, the club kept going. An at-home marathon drew 152 runners and a Minecraft championship drew 120 players, together raising about S$3,000. By then GK was one of the largest clubs at SAS, with approximately 80 members.

In February 2019, students on Interim to Dalaguete visited the homes of GK beneficiaries to hear about their lives and families. The families were still living in small sheds of wood and scrap, and were due to be given the keys to their new concrete homes that afternoon.

Each interview ended with the same question: what are you worried about when moving to the new GK houses? Every family gave the same answer. They weren’t worried. Their community was already strong, and their neighbours were all moving with them.

Maria lives with her husband and son in a small house made of wood planks. She built it herself in a week, and has had to rebuild it many times since after floods. She looks forward to the permanence of a GK home, one that can never be sold out from under her.

From the club's 2019 village updates. Names were changed by the club to protect the families’ privacy.

About Gawad Kalinga

Gawad Kalinga (GK) means "to give care" in Tagalog.

GK is a Philippines-based organization that has worked to establish sustainable communities for the impoverished since 2003. These communities provide the shelter and education necessary to restore dignity and partner with the poor. Job training harnesses untapped entrepreneurial potential by offering resources to form social businesses.

Although we're a high school club, Gawad Kalinga is a much bigger multi-national NGO. Its work today includes training community leaders through the GK Builders Institute and mentoring communities so they can keep improving on their own.

See Gawad Kalinga's work on gk1world.com