Scavenger finds hope in entrepreneurship

CEBU, Philippines - She grew up toiling, selling, and sometimes eating garbage, and she thought she will live in this lifestyle for the rest of her life.

Her only goal was for daily survival—nothing else.

However, after 45 years of making garbage her livelihood, Editha Bonghanoy found her way to the ‘entrepreneurship” world, and now starting up her small “Krispy” (deep-fried chicken neck and feet) stall in front of her makeshift house.

Her worth-telling-story reinforces the fact that getting into business amid severe financial difficulties is not impossible at all.

No education. No husband, and a single-mother, Editha never had a rest-day. But, someone up above may have seen the beauty of her heart, passion for life, and love for her family, that she “accidentally” found an envelope while gathering wastes in one of the dumpsites.

The envelope which contained P600 made this ordinary woman an entrepreneur, using the small amount to start her own “Krispy” business.

This small business, which she installed in front of her house in Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City, provides her family a decent meal, and extra income to send her grandchildren to school, slowly breaking the cycle of poverty in her family.

“Wala koy laing pangandoy, mapa eskwela lang ang akong mga apo. Dili ko gusto nga maka sulay sila sa kalisud nga akong na agi-an,”Editha confessed.

The “Krispy” business, which she considers as “treasure”, now earns her at least P100 a day--enough to buy one-and-a-half kilos of rice, and a decent viand, and send her grandchildren to public school.

Although she has not totally left her old-time “profession” in toiling garbage, to aid other basic needs of the family. But, she hopes that this business would open the gates for her family to taste “life” after-all.

No stranger to hard-work, sleepless nights, hunger and pain, Editha has slowly seen her “self-worth” as a woman, and now starting to dream of experiencing “happiness.” Her description of happiness is a selfless one—being able to see her family get out from the pit of poverty, and see her grandchildren earn degrees and start a lifestyle that is simple, decent and happy.

Out from the small profit she gets from “Krispy”, she dreams of having her own food-stall someday. Ultimately, saying goodbye to selling trash.

Indeed, making a difference is not impossible, even to the most ordinary women we see every day. Editha’s inner beauty radiates and shines, and now she is on her way to break life’s difficulties, and pass it on the next generation of her family—traveling the path of entrepreneurship—a gate worth pursuing, if only to “dream” again. (FREEMAN)