Merilene is a married woman who lives in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. She earns her living by operating a fish vending business. Her husband Bonifacio, who is 58 years old, works as a vendor to earn his living and helps in his wife's business activities. They have two children who are 24 and 28 years old. Merilene joined NWTF-Project Dungganon in 2004 because she aspired for something better for her family. With the help of her past 14 loans from NWTF-Project Dungganon, Merilene has been incrementally lifting her family out of poverty by the sweat of her brow. Her previous loan of PHP 17,000 helped her earn a monthly profit of PHP 15,000, uplifting the family's standard of living. This time, for her 15th loan, she is borrowing PHP 20,000 to use as additional capital so that she can continue to save up for house repairs. Merilene is a Dungganon woman who is following an honorable path toward the achievement of her dreams.

About NWTF: In a world full of challenges, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) is making a difference in the lives of thousands of women through Project Dungganon (a Hiligaynon word that means Honorable). Through the alleviation program, NWTF is empowering these women to progress from earning less than $1 a day to achieving realities that surpass even their dreams. They have taken a life path that will ultimately make them Dungganon - a title of esteem that is bestowed upon a member of a community who has earned the respect through a lifetime of hard and honest work. Help NWTF continue its mission to help the poorest in the Philippines by joining the NWTF Kiva lending team at http://www.kiva.org