| Vilma Hopes Again with 4Ps |
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| News Features - Success Stories |
| Monday, 16 November 2009 09:15 |
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IRISAN, Baguio City--When the 18 year-old Vilma Delfin left Bicol with her high school diploma, she was optimistic to find a new life in Baguio City. But as cold as the city weather, Vilma realized that her quest in the next 17 years would lead her to distraught. Vilma Delfin, now 35 years old, is one of the many people who, after finishing high school, explore worlds of anonymity which often leads to failures. Baguio is the city where she thought her dreams would materialize. She was working as a housemaid when she met her husband Edgar. Her dream for herself became a dream for her family. Vilma and Edgar, along with their three children, live in a temporary small house made of galvanized iron and other scraps in Irisan. Barangay Irisan is where the dump site area of Baguio City is located. In the skimpy space inside their home, Vilma retained her hope of providing her family the future that she has been dreaming for so long. The youngest child was only a year old when she was diagnosed of congenital cataract and malnourishment. Vilma patiently sought for ways to get funding for the operation of her youngest child. She tried several private funding agencies in Baguio City to cover the operation of her child which costs around P100, 000. She waited for over two years but the cataract and the health of her youngest child only worsened as she waited in vain. On the other hand, the two elder kids hardly went to school because they don’t always have money available for transportation and school requirements. Vilma sells bibingka at the streets and schools. To augment her meager earnings, she also accepts laundry every weekend. Edgar, who only finished Grade Three elementary, works as a freelance from construction sites to automotive shops. The total earnings from the two jobs only amount to P250 a week, not sufficient even for the family's basic expenses. In their desperation, Vilma and Edgar also tried waste picking at the Irisan dumpsite. But all these efforts would not suffice for the family’s needs especially for the medication of the youngest child whose illness worsened everyday. It was not enough to support the schooling of the two older kids. Last March 17, Vilma's hope moved out from despair as her name was listed on the possible beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or the Conditional Cash Transfer Program in the Philippines, a poverty reduction strategy of the government. 4Ps invests on human capital primarily focusing on the improvement of health, nutrition, and education particularly of the growing children aged 0-14. Its goal is to break the intergenerational cycle among poor households through human capital accumulation. The program provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to allow them to meet certain human development goals in exchange of compliance to co-responsibilities. A household-beneficiary can receive as much as P1, 400 each month. The cash grant includes P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 monthly per child for a maximum of 3 children per household for educational expenses. They can receive cash grants for up to five years as long as they comply with the conditionalities. They conditionalities are the following: parents must ensure that their children attend school at least 85% of the time, and receive vaccinations and preventive health care. Pregnant women must receive pre- and post-natal care and be attended during childbirth by a skilled health professional. Parents must attend responsible parenthood seminars, mother's classes, and parent effectiveness seminars “Ang laki ng naitulong ng 4Ps sa pamilya ko. Puwede ko na maipa-check-up ang bunso ko. Makakabili na ako gamot at vitamins niya, at mga school supplies at sapatos ng mga bata,” Vilma exclaimed upon receiving payment from the 4Ps. The assistance given by 4Ps inspires Vilma and Edgar to work harder. Now that 4Ps helps in augmenting the family's needs, they can save a little. The kids now go to school regularly. Vilma's youngest child has regular vitamins and other supplements that would make her healthier and prevent the cataract from getting worse. Vilma sees a better future and her dreams are rekindled as she hopes with her family and with 4Ps. ### (4Ps Social Marketing Unit) |
