The twenty-five years with Dungganon meant so much for Rebecca, a local of Magballo, Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
Looking back, she had to work day by day in the rice fields to provide for her family. But now, she enjoys a comfortable life and all of her children are either abroad or with stable jobs.
All of these were possible as her life took a sweet turn when she joined Project Dungganon.
“My eldest was in high school then and supporting her education was difficult for us because what we had was not enough to give them a bright future. It was then that I joined Dungganon and loaned money to send my children to school,” Rebecca said as her voice cracked, seemingly trying to hold her tears.
She recalls how she would travel to Bacolod to give a portion of the money she loaned for her children’s exams. She lived in Kabankalan while her children were attending school in Murcia but they would meet in Bacolod, especially when it was her children’s exam season.
Rebecca knew that if she solely depended on loans, she would still have problems later on with her children’s growing needs. She thought of opportunities available to her and utilized her loan to finance a small rice farm and later on a sugarcane business.
She threw everything she had into these businesses. And even had to sell their carabao for additional funds. And fortunately, she chanced upon a good sugarcane harvest that gave her a chance to secure and purchase her own farmlands.
Thanks to her wide and long experience working in rice farms and sugarcane fields, it gave her an ample amount of knowledge on how to operate the business and grow it further.
Her perseverance and dedication have paid off, and just like the sweetness of sugarcane she plants, she reaped a sweet life, free of tomorrow’s worries.
If before she spent the whole day basking in the sun plowing other people’s fields, now she’s out during daylight looking at her five-hectare rice fields and five-hectare sugarcane fields. An achievement she got through her untiring efforts to succeed and give her family the best life.
This is exactly why her heart is filled with gratitude for all the blessings she’s been receiving. Rebecca shares how her children played a part in making this possible for her family.
“My children saw and experienced first-hand the life we had. How difficult it was living in poverty. That is why we were determined to change our lives…it was also the reason why my children made sure to do good in school and finish their education,” a teary-eyed Rebecca shared.
She then shared how her children have made her really proud of what they have accomplished. “Of my three children – one finished taking up education, my second child is now abroad, and my third child is a seafarer,” she said, as her eyes now filled with tears.
With everything she is currently blessed with she owes it to the inspiration her family gives her and the two main qualities, she tried all her life to live by… patience and determination.
She practiced patience–as she patiently waited for when the sun will shine on her life and it eventually did. Her determination–working in the field under scorching heat reaped great rewards which led her to gain a deeper understanding of life–that it will take time to build yourself and your business, but in the end, you will get there.
These qualities made it possible for a simple woman like Rebecca, to reach the success she has today.
At present, she employs five people to help her keep her business thriving. In turn, she helps them provide for their own families as she knows how hard life can be. This is part of the promise she made to herself– that she will return the favor Dungganon has given her to others who need it.
Her story is one of the many stories that prove that it is possible to make it in life just like how Rebecca did it.
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