“Muabot ra ang adlaw nga mahitabo ra gyud akong mga pangandoy (Someday all my dreams will come true).”
31-year-old Sally Joy Jovita from Sison, Surigao del Norte has always dreamed of building her store. Selling different goods and products had never been just a job for Sally Joy; it was also her passion.
Since 2016, Sally Joy had been into entrepreneurship. She would sell anything that she deems trending and marketable. It was also an advantage that Sally Joy enjoyed socializing with other people. She would go from one house to another just to find customers.
But even if she enjoyed selling most of the time, Sally Joy also realized that her job was a bit tiresome. There were days that she had to walk under the scorching heat of the sun or brave heavy rains.
At this point, Sally Joy began to envision putting up her physical store one day. She promised herself and her family that she would work diligently to make that dream happen.
Then the pandemic hit.
Due to the pandemic, people’s income became meager as most establishments had to close down following the community quarantine. Some even lost their jobs. As for Sally Joy, there had also been a decrease in her income. Her usual customers rarely purchased anything from her because of a tight budget.
Sally Joy knew she had no choice but to delay her long dream. She needed to prioritize her family’s needs first.
One day, an opportunity came. Sally Joy was identified as one of the eligible beneficiaries to receive the Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG) from the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Sally Joy received financial assistance amounting to PHP 15,000.
This financial assistance is provided to low-income families whose existing livelihoods have been severely affected due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine. The assistance can serve as seed capital to start a new micro-business or as additional capital to their existing livelihood. Other than that, the grant can also be used by the beneficiaries in looking for employment.
Sally Joy was overjoyed when she received the assistance. It helped her to replenish her stocks and buy frozen food products and dry goods. Even if peddling the products was still challenging, she pursued.
During the peak of the pandemic, going out of the house was discouraged. Sally Joy posted and marketed her products online to save time and avoid getting exposed to others. Once the buyer confirms the order, it’s also the only time Sally Joy leaves the house to deliver the items.
“Sa tabang sa DSWD, naghinaot ko nga mudako ang akong income ug nakatipon ko ug igong kwarta para ipuhonan sa tangandoy namo nga tindahan (With the help of the DSWD, I’m hoping that my income will increase and I’ll can save enough money as capital for our dream store),” Sally Joy expressed.
After three months of diligence and dedication, Sally Joy finally reached the amount she needed to set up a physical store. It was even her husband who personally constructed the store.
“Luyo sa kalisod sa panahon, waya kami nagpaluya kay may pangandoy kami nan ako bana para sa amo pamilya. Sa una magsuroy ako nan bisan unsa nga pwede mabaligya para lamang naa mi makaon sa kada adlaw. Magbalay-balay ako paninda bisan pa man sa kainit sa panahon ug usahay mingaw ang halin. Ug pinaagi sa social media, magpost ako online nan mga dry goods ug ready-to-wear (RTW) didto mas nidaghan akong customer (Even in the midst of difficult times, we didn’t get discouraged because my husband and I had dreams for our family. Before, I would peddle anything so that we can buy food every day. I would go from one house to another just to sell even if the weather was hot or sales were slow. Through social media the number of my customers increased because I would post dry goods and RTW online).”
Truly, it has been a long, winding journey for Sally Joy and her whole family. But she’s grateful for all that she had been through because it made her dream bigger and pushed her to pursue harder.
Because of her hard work and perseverance, Sally Joy has been able to turn “one day” into “day one”.
