A BUSINESS FOR THE FAMILY. Remedios Magadia, 55, a beneficiary of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), manages a dressmaking business through the help of the zero-interest capital assistance provided by the SLP. From just one sewing machine, which she used to support her four children, she now has five machines, which allow her to earn more income for the family and even help other poor women in their community through employing them in her business.

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A growing business and a new home

Opportunities for a poor family’s brighter future

For a small-time dressmaker, nothing beats the feeling of pride and accomplishment of seeing all her four children getting their college diplomas.

Remedios Magadia, 55, a resident of Brgy. Dita in Cuenca town in Batangas Province, cannot believe that from their small and dilapidated home and her one sewing machine, she has managed to achieve the greatest achievement as a parent—to provide all her children a better future.

For her, everything started when she became a beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program, now the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The SLP is one of the core poverty reduction programs of the national government that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of beneficiaries through the Community-Driven Enterprise Development approach, which equips participants with knowledge and skills to actively contribute to production and labor markets.

With the opportunities provided to her by the program, she now has five sewing machines and a concrete home. And aside from being able to support the needs of her children, she’s able to help other families, too, through employing them in her growing dressmaking business.

Acquiring skills for her business

Remedios admits that her income as a dressmaker is not enough to support their family, especially that her husband only worked as a driver. However, despite this situation, they are determined to provide for the needs of their children, particularly their education.

When the SLP came in 2004, Remedios gladly took the chance. She went through various capacity building activities, which, according to her, capacitated her to manage a business better.

“Nakabili ako ng dalawa pang dagdag na makina na nakatulong para madagdagan ang kita ko gamit ang Php10,000 kapital na naipahiram sa akin ng SEA-K,” she shared.

With more income in the family, they were able to meet most of the needs of their children. She also learned the value of saving for the family; hence, she was able to save enough not only to pay off the loan in two years’ time, but also to send her children to college and expand her business.

More opportunities and a better home

“Dahil sa maayos naming record ng pagbabayad sa SEA-K, na-qualify kami para sa Level II kung saan kami nakahiram ng dagdag na puhunan para mas mapalago ang aming negosyo at para rin makapagpagawa ng mas maayos na bahay,” she proudly shared.

In the implementation of the SEA-K, good performing beneficiaries are qualified for a Level II scheme, which provides opportunities for business expansion and basic shelter construction. With this new opportunity, Remedios was able to loan zero-interest capital of Php90,000 in 2012 where Php30,000 was used to expand her business. The rest was used to construct a safer and better home for the Magadia Family.

“Yung bahay namin, yari lang sa tagpi-tagping yero at kawayan. Pero ngayon, maayos na at konkreto na. ‘Yung Php70,000 dinagdagan ko ng sarili kong savings para maging ganito ang bahay namin,” shared Remedios as she proudly shows her new home, now made of concrete and is big enough for the whole family.

Not giving up

Just when everything is going smoothly, Remedios faced a lot of challenges. Her eldest child died and left two of her grandchildren under her care. Her husband also suffered from bone cancer, which shook the foundations of what she had called a stable life already.

“Nakaratay s’ya at mahal ang pagpapagamot sa kanya, kaya naging pasanin na naman para sa amin. Isa na lang akong nagtataguyod sa mga anak ko at mayroon pang mga dagdag gastusin hanggang sa namatay sya noong nakaraang taon,” she shared.

Remedios, however, remained strong. She is glad that she still has her family and her business to help her stand up again.

In 2013, they also qualified to be a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, another program of the DSWD that invests on the health and education of her children. Remedios’ two grandchildren became the beneficiaries and according to her, the help from the program made everything easier for her, now a widow.

Looking forward, Remedios is thankful for the opportunities provided to her by these two programs.

“Ngayon, nagpapakatatag ako para sa pamilya ko. Masaya rin ako na dahil sa lumalagong negosyo ko, nakakatulong ako sa kapwa ko dahil nabibigyan ko rin sila ng dagdag na kita para sa pamilya nila,” she said.

For her, helping them is like giving back the help provided to her by the government. From a small-time dressmaker, she now gets bulk orders of school and company uniforms from nearby areas of their town. With pride and determination, she vows never to stop working hard until even her grandchildren gets a taste of a better life.#