Credencia and Elena – On the crest of new waves

Two women share how ICM’s Savings Group changed their lives and finances. ELENA Elena, 65, lives in a wooden house on stilts by a mangrove field with her granddaughter Rhealyn, who suffers from an undiagnosed chronic health condition. At 14-years-old, Rhealyn cannot speak and can barely stand by herself. The area around their house is littered with trash, and floods regularly during high tide. Elena earns a small income of around P500 / HK$87 / US$11 a month by doing laundry. They occasionally receive an extra P2,000 / HK$340 / US$44 from Rhealyn’s mother, but this is barely enough for Elena to support her four grandchildren, especially when she needs to buy expensive milk to supplement Rhealyn’s diet. ICM’s Transform program has helped Elena learn the importance of saving money. She joined the Transform savings group, where the mothers are saving together so they can start a business selling detergent powder and dish-washing liquids. The group savings also acts as an emergency fund for any member in need. Elena is much better prepared to care for her family in times of emergency. Recently, Rhealyn was not eating properly and Elena was able to take her to a doctor for a check-up, using loans from her savings group. Forming a strong and nurturing community is the real treasure of Transform. The community will help Elena get through the hard times of looking after a chronically ill child long after the four month program is over and will continue to provide support to Rhealyn. Elena feels stronger by this sense of community and by her closer relationship with God, which she has developed through regular prayer. She has found a renewed sense of hope.   CREDENCIA Credencia, from Labugon, Mandaue, has survived the forces of nature. In 1990, typhoon Ruping destroyed Credencia’s home, forcing the mother of eight to move in with one of her children. Over the years, Credencia has worked at low paying menial jobs like stringing feathers together to make a duster, which earns her P25 / HK$0.5 / US$0.06 per foot sold, and she now lives next door to her daughter in a wooden shack.  The tiny home is located by a delta, and daily Credencia’s shack is flooded with dirty seawater. During high tide, it is not possible to enter or leave her home. When the waves subside, the packed dirt floor of Credencia’s home is filled with rubbish from the ocean. When Credencia was asked to join ICM’s Transform program, she took the commitment seriously. Credencia took notes at every VHL session, in order to remember the valuable lessons she was learning. Credencia also decided to join the ICM Transform community savings group, which sells laundry and dish-washing soaps, to provide her access to money when she needs it for emergencies and the future.