This is Haydee’s stall of accessories, located inside a multi-purpose hall in Buhangin, Davao City. From different colors and sizes of beads, she creates beautiful products such as arm bands, bracelets, necklaces, purses, pouches, and bags – a very efficient way of making usable items from small things. Two paid helpers assist her from creative planning to production and marketing.

Haydee’s business gives her a sort of relief from the absence of her husband, Ronaldo, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). He’s been working abroad for several years already to support the education of their five children. Haydee tries her best to supplement other household needs like food, utilities and transportation allowances, with the aid of her business. Slowly, they are being relieved of huge educational expenses because two of their five children have already finished their schooling, while the other two are still studying in college and the youngest is in high school.

Now Haydee is giving extra attention to her business. She realized that she cannot get enough clients while waiting inside the store. Therefore, she concentrates on marketing and networking to get volume orders from schools, offices and workplaces. She promotes her products as affordable give-aways during special occasions.

She is anticipating mass production and she needs additional capital of PHP 20,000 to buy a large volume of beads, nylon and other raw materials for her business.

She’s really working hard, hoping that her income would be enough to support all their needs, so that her husband need not work abroad anymore.

Praying that you could be God’s instrument to grant her request and contribute a few steps to make her family whole someday.

She meets with her co-fellowship* members every week to share stories of her life and business and to draw strength and inspiration from the fellowship and the Word of God. *All CCT community partners/clients are organized into fellowship groups that meet on a weekly basis. A fellowship group is composed of 15 to 30 community partners. The fellowship groups gather each week to study the Word of God, build social capital and pay microfinance loans.