Sr. Claudia Stecker, RNDM (far right) with the women members of Sambayanihan, a micro-finance program
Our “Sambayanihan” microfinance program takes me weekly to Maly, Rizal, to the homes of entrepreneurial moms, making efforts to develop livelihood to sustain their families. This particular community is located in close proximity to the Marikina River, and, during the rainy season, it is one of the first areas affected by severe flooding. Homes are submerged in a mucky deluge up to the second storey several times each year. While I can barely imagine coping with the clean-up that follows and the effort to restore spoiled stock, I was deeply touched one day when one of our members spoke of how “blessed” they are, as, until this time, no lives have been lost due to flooding. The gratitude, faith, resilience and hope of so many of our members so often inspires me and teaches me, and I, too, am grateful.
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