Economic Growth Philippines Project #6648

Raise Capital for Entrepreneurs in the Philippines

by Opportunity International

Project Report | Apr 11, 2011
Gaining Insight: Jemmalyn's Story

By Olivia Schultz | Project Leader

This year, Opportunity International will be taking over 12 Insight Trips to countries around the world. Coming up soon, is a trip to the Philippines. On May 27, this many people will depart for Antipolo City, where they will get to see Opportunity's main branch, and visit local staff and leadership. Then, visitors will get to meet Opportunity's clients and see them at work, using the microloans they received from Opportunity International. see first hand the work of Opportunity and how it is effecting clients like Jemmalyn Alcantara.

When her father died of a heart attack, Jemmalyn’s family was forced to move to the squatter community surrounding Payatas, Manila’s municipal dump. The 10,000 families living there subsist by combing through tons of garbage to glean scraps of reusable plastic, metal and wood. They live in shanties constructed of these scraps and sell what they can to earn a meager income. As an alternative to digging through garbage, Jemmalyn learned basketweaving and used money left over from her father’s burial to start a business. As an Opportunity International loan client, she and her mother weave about 10 baskets a day, which they sell for up to $1.25 each. Jemmalyn is eager to move to a safer community. She hopes to earn enough money to send her three siblings to college and dreams of opening a sari-sari, a small convenience store. With Opportunity loans helping her expand her.

To hear more about Opportunity's work in the Philippines, go to:

http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/where-we-work/microfinance-in-asia/microfinance-in-philippines/

Links:

Want to take an Insight Trip with Opportunity?

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