She has big dreams and earned a college diploma for it. She started a family with confidence, but she still failed.

Elvira Laurino, a resident of Brgy. Poblacion IA in Ternate, Cavite Province, is a graduate of Bachelor of Business Education. She has three children and is married to a tricycle driver.

“Noon akala ko sapat na nakagraduate ka sa kolehiyo at magkaroon ng permanenteng trabaho para matugunan mo ang mga pangangailangan ng pamilya mo. Pangarap ko talagang maiahon sa kahirapan ang pamilya ko kaya nagsumikap ako, pero hindi ko pala kontrolado ang sitwasyon,” she shared.

In 2006, she lost her financial stability when the company she was working for closed its operations. As if this was not a major blow yet, she was diagnosed with a serious illness and was given only three more years to live.

“Para akong binagsakan ng langit at lupa. Halos maubos lahat ng aking pinaghirapan. Naging pangamba ko kung paano namin maitataguyod ang magandang kinabukasan ng mga anak namin,” she shared.

Elvira’s unemployment and her illness made a big difference to their living condition. They had to depend on her husband’s income as a tricycle driver, who takes home Php150 at most per day.

Instead of losing hope, Elvira decided to move forward. What fueled her determination more is the inspiration brought to her by being a beneficiary of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

“Isang napakalaking tulong ng programa para makapagpatuloy ng pag-aaral ang mga anak ko. Kahit nabigo ako sa aking trabaho, pinagpipilitan pa rin naming pag-aralin sila dahil alam naming iyon ang paraan para magkaroon sila ng mas maayos na buhay,” she added.

She is glad that with the program, she no longer has to worry about her children’s expenses in school. She and her husband are able to allot what little income they have for their other needs at home.

Further, through the program’s Family Development Sessions, she learned not only about handling and strengthening her family but also how to move forward and help her family to succeed.

She started looking for a job and luckily, she was given a position in the local government of Ternate where she earns Php2,000 a month. She knows that this is not enough to support her children so she finds other ways to earn more.

“Lahat na yata ng sideline ay pinasok ko para kumita ng extra. Nagbebenta ako ng mga damit, nagbebenta ng load at tumatanggap din ako ng paperworks. On-call din ako kapag may mga okasyon. Kailangan kong magsikap para matulungan ko ang mga anak namin,” she shared.

With the help of the Pantawid Pamilya program and her hard work and determination, all their children are in school. Her eldest is now taking up BS Accountancy and she and her husband promise to support all three of them until they reach their dreams.

The cash grants from the program ensure that the school needs of their two younger children are taken care of; hence, they are able to save money and allot it for her ‘sidelines’ and for the college education of their eldest.

Seeing their life now, Elvira knows that it is not what she has envisioned when she started her family. However, what keeps her going is that she has won over the challenges in her health and in their finances. She has the future ahead of her and she vows to make it a good one, not for her benefit, but for her children.

In the end, her college diploma still did not fail her. It’s still what she’s holding on to keep her job and support her family. And now, she never loses hope that giving her children a gift of education will not fail them either.with reports from VNGonzales***