ILOILO — A dedicated social worker, responsible and cooperative Pantawid Pamilya staff who once stumbled but able to manage difficulties, rise and continue chase success to reach her dreams.
Jean Lyn Cajeben Eriman, is 29 years old, a solo parent and a native of Tigbauan, Iloilo. She is currently working as Project Development Officer II under Pantawid Pamilya program assigned in Iloilo City. She is the youngest child among three siblings of Ernesto and Rose Jean Cajeben. She came from a poor family wherein her father and mother work as tenant farmer. But poverty does not hinder her to dream big and fight to reach her goals. She graduated her undergraduate degree at UP Visayas with a degree Bachelor of Arts in Community Development following the footsteps of her eldest sister who is also graduated in the same school. Her second sister also attains college degree.
Life in college is not easy for her considering that three of them were in college and parent’s income could not suffice their needs. Scholarships had helped them to survive in college. Despite that her course is not the one she dreamed before, she embraced it with a grateful heart because she believed that God has a purpose.
Being a Community Development graduate and a practitioner is not enough to extend help for those who are in needs. She saw the opportunity to enroll in Master of Social Work because she believed that it could develop her career and learnings towards social work profession. Currently, she is now a Registered Social Worker.
“Life is not easy for me to reach this far, to reach my dreams. I have to sacrifice something just to reach my goals. It is a big challenge for me when I became a solo parent when my husband died due to chronic disease,” said Jean Lyn.
Jean Lyn added that she has to manage her time for her career, studies, child and family. For her, all of these are worth enough to praise God for the strength and courage He has given to her.
“My experience in DSWD helps a lot to cope to such challenges,” she added.
As an agent of change, she continues to help poorest of the poor households not just to change their own lives but to become an agent of change as well. Despite the dynamics and behavior of the people, she still wholeheartedly helps clients. Her willingness to empower people and her advocacy that people have the capacity to change could help to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. She believes that change starts from people themselves.
“If we want success we must focus, discipline ourselves and above all we have faith that we can do it. We may stumble once, twice or many more but don’t quit. We may get frustrated and down but rise and move forward. I want to help people especially the youth today that self-discipline and determination is important. They should give priority to the things that could bring them to their success. I want to instill in the mind of beneficiaries the importance of hardworking and the values of valuing smaller things,” Jean Lyn also said.
She is looking forward to render more time and service in DSWD especially to Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. (Iloilo POO – MGC)