A widow with a small hog raising business unexpectedly changed her life through the assistance of the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-SLP).
Fifty-nine-year-old Lucia Balidio Curises from Brgy. Nagustan, Nabas, Aklan lost her husband in 2013 and had to raise his seven children alone. With her small hog raising business, Lucia, also a 4Ps member tried to make ends meet. Yet, doing it alone was never easy for Lucia. She had to play the part of a father, a mother, and even as a friend to her children. There were times when she could hardly send her children to school because they don’t even have food on the table.
Her hog raising business did not do well for it is located in a congested area in their barangay. Fortunately, Lucia became a member of the Lasunidosbuesna Variety Store Owners Association. The association is composed of 56 members formed for a project under the DSWD-SLP that provides livelihood assistance to Filipino people who belongs to marginalized groups.
On November 2018, the DSWD-SLP released a budget to fund the proposed project of the association. Each member received P10,000.00 to start their own individual business. With this, Lucia asked God’s guidance to direct her on how to properly manage the money that was entrusted to her by the government.
On the same year, she started a sari-sari store store in their barangay. This time, luck must be on Lucia’s side for it became a hit.
Lucia then started a sari-sari store business, where she partnered with her child, Josephine Curises. Together with her family, and by the guidance of the SLP Project Development Officer, the business flourished.
Indeed, miracles happen for those who never give up.
Now, she has two branches in the highway. Most of her products are foods, grocery items, rice and feeds. They also have another branch in Baybay where they sell fishing supplies for fisherfolks in Nagustan.
The average daily sales in her main branch is P8,000.00 with an approximate gain of P1,200.00 or equivalent to 15% mark up. While in the second store in Baybay, the average sales is P4,000.00/day with an approximate gain of P600.00/day or equivalent also to 15% mark up.
Likewise, she expanded her business by adding karaoke machine, which is in demand especially that their location is near the beach. Her sari-sari store business also provided convenience for the people in their community during this pandemic. People no longer need to go to the town to buy food and other stuff that they need. Rather, they will just purchase it in a sari-sari store that has complete items and at a lower price.
On April 2020, the LGU of Nabas identified their store as “COVID Store of Nagustan,” wherein they provided stocks to their store amounting to P10,000.00 on a consignment basis.
Today, Lucia can finally send her children to school, in which her youngest is a 1st year college student studying at St. Gabriel College taking BS in Nursing. Her sixth child is now on her third year in college taking BS in Criminology. Her two other children have graduated college and now working in Boracay.
Her three other children meanwhile have their own families already.
Lucia admitted that they still face many challenges. Yet despite all the hardships, they finally have enough food on their table, and they no longer worry on their daily needs and necessities.
The life of Lucia is a message that there is always hope. From a failed hog raising business to one business that eventually flourished.
“Mula sa PagSibol, Hanggang sa PagSulong”
Photo Credit to: SLP Aklan