Former Lebanon workers: From maids to perfume makers

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela — Only a few months ago, 25-year-old Jennifer Andrade was one of the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) trapped by the war in Lebanon and was forced to evacuate after fighting started.

Arriving here in her native city practically empty handed, she was at a loss on how to make ends meet again and contend with the harsh realities of life.

Seeing the situation of these former OFWs, the Santiago City government, led by Mayor Amelita Navarro, decided to hold a skills training program that would enable these women to support their families.

One of the courses taught at the government-sponsored training was perfume and soap making.

"We hope this would give them business opportunities that would not only enable them to make ends meet, but would also allow them to use their creativity and still be in touch with their feminine side," said the mayor.

Since then a series of seminars on perfume and soap making had been held here, arming the participants with the skills and opening up opportunities for them on possible business ventures in soap and perfume making with the help of the city government.

Under the scheme, a start-up capital in the form of raw materials were given to the participants and other technical assistance from government and private agencies.

Now, when you go around the city, you can see this burgeoning perfume businesses in the homes of those who availed of the skills training.

"Many of these former Lebanon workers are now trying to create their own original perfume and plan to sell them commercially," Navarro said.

The city government has also come up with a financial package to enable the activities of these new entrepreneurs to take off and establish a market base and sustain their business.

"We have been able to help these OFWs from Lebanon become entrepreneurs," she said.

The city government has also assisted the women in finding buyers for their products.

As more of the ladies here learn the tricks of perfume and soap making, it won’t be long before others also discover their entrepreneurial talent.