“Lagi kong kasama and Diyos sa lahat ng nangyayari at laban ko sa buhay.” (God is always with me in every situation and in every struggle of my life.)
– Nanay Margarette –
Nanay Margarette runs a small business with a capital of Php 1,000. She sells different kinds of street food and snacks within her community. However, when the community quarantine was declared in March 2020, she had to temporarily stop the operation of her livelihood.
Nanay Margarette’s family went through serious financial struggles due to lockdown. They experienced having no source of income for three (3) months because there was no demand for the services of her husband as an electrician. With this situation, they were forced to use up all of their resources to meet the daily needs of her family especially, her two children, ages five and three. That included the small capital of her livelihood.
In October 2021, an opportunity knocked when Nanay Margarette was introduced to TSPI by a relative. With the affordable terms and savings component of Sikap Loan Program, she grabbed the opportunity with the purpose of starting a business again. With Php 2,000 loan, she launched her street food business again. She was blessed to be able to earn a significant amount to augment her husband’s income that helped meet the daily needs of the family. The income from her livelihood also helped them pay their outstanding monthly utility bills since the quarantine period.
After 5 months, Nanay Margarette was entrusted with a second loan of Php 5,000 as she graduated from TSPI Kabuhayan Program (TKP). With the additional capital, she was able to increase her inventory and sales that enabled her to triple her daily income. Inspired by this development in her life, she dreams of putting up her own Sari-sari Store someday.