Because of the pandemic, most of the Philippines has been placed on lockdown since last year. This has challenged our program to adapt and comply with the health protocols that each municipality has set. We are grateful to have a dedicated team who diligently visits each area and client.
A few weeks ago, the Philippines was taken aback by a series of quakes that shook several provinces in the Central to Northern part of Luzon and some other provinces in Visayas, causing severe damage to properties and lives -But not this microfinance group in the rural parts of Bataan.
Mina was married at the age of 15. Now, at 32, her and her husband have a daughter and two sons. She was from a poor farming family. She tells us her story. “I started a ‘Chatpat’ (a quick sour, chilly snack) selling business with an investment of about Rs. 2,000 (US$17) as that’s all my family could afford. I was able to earn around Rs. 1,000 (US$8) daily and although this was not much, it boosted my confidence. That was 6 years ago. I wanted to grow my business but I wasn’t able to get a loan."
Renu is 24 years of age and is unmarried. She lived an idle life and was found to be at high-risk of being trafficked. With the help and training from the My Business My Freedom program (a Captivating and 3AN joint project), Renu has now started a mini poultry business. She had no understanding about how to run a business or why it was important for her to be self-sufficient. The group Renu is part of has helped her with learning so much about the risks of human trafficking, how to manage a business, social issues and saving money to invest in her future. Now she has 20 chicken as her poultry farm.
“My name is Grace Moraa. My parents died from AIDS and I'm now an orphan. But my life has many bright lights. I am twelve years old and in class seven at Suneka primary school. I now live with my aunty after the death of my only remaining parent; my mother. She passed on three years ago and since then I am living with my relatives. Every morning I have to do some household chores before running to school. I also help my Aunty Mokeira with fetching water daily as she leaves very early for the market and comes home late. My aunty got financial help from the Captivating/ACDF micro-loans program and was able to start a chicken rearing business this year. This helps in our upkeep. My aunty is very hardworking and she is planning to construct a bigger place for the chickens soon as the business continues to grow. My aunty gets three crates of eggs every week for sale and also sells some chickens for extra money. She bought me an extra pair of shoes and a uniform for school. She is also now able to buy hygiene products for me to use. Before, I would not attend school for a whole week every month fearing others will laugh at me! I am really grateful to Captivating because I live with hope. Because of you I have not been sent home for school fees arrears this year. We are closing school in a few days and I will help my aunty in the household chores as I am the oldest of all my cousins and sometimes I can go with her to the market as I wait for opening school next month. Thank you Captivating for your support. You are God send.”
Captivating is looking to extend this loan program in Kisii, Kenya. We are looking for more financial partners to help us raise US$10k in additional loan capital. If you can help, please email andrewc@captivating.org so we can assist 80 more families in this program.
Marissa just received her third cycle loan! She has been part of the Honor Microfinance Program since 2019 and has been serving her community with her sari-sari (small convenience store) business.
The journey to sustainability varies for each of the client moms of Honor 1000's Microfinance Program. There are various factors and conditions contributing to this, but one thing remains unchanged and that is the support provided to these moms.
Many Filipino families continue to suffer from the harsh consequences of prolonged lockdown in the country. Sadly, many of these parents are pushed to their limits and resort to exploitation (of their own children) as a means to earn a living.
As a mother to four children, with her youngest just born recently, Florian sees it important to secure their family’s means of income. Continue reading her story.
