For the poor to survive each day, they have to compromise even the most essential aspect of quality living, which is health. Such is the case of the household of Gemma Apin, a 40-year old woman whose husband is a charcoal maker. They have five (5) children. One of them has goiter and the other has asthma. Aling Gemma herself has heart disease. Her son's goiter was detected when he was nine yet he has not seen a doctor since then.

   

Budgeting was a great ordeal especially as there was almost nothing to budget. Aling Gemma sadly recounts that their diet primarily consists of vegetables. During really dire times, they would settle for salt as viand.

Teary-eyed, she narrated that they used to stay in a resort where they served as caretakers. When they had a misunderstanding with the owner, they were evicted from the place and were forced to stay in the Barangay Hall for four (4) devastating days since they had nowhere else to stay. They felt utterly hopeless.

Despite her heart ailment, Aling Gemma washed clothes to earn P500 a month to support her family. Clearly, she was underpaid and the rate only shows how oppressing poverty is because she had to accept an unjust payment for physically exhausting work so they would have something to eat.
   
The quality of their life gradually improved when they became beneficiaries of 4Ps in August of last year. The youngest child will be starting school this June and with the cash grant she receives, she is relieved that she can finally afford to send their children to school.
   
Occasionally, they can also afford to include meat in their diet. She also recounts that the first time she received the cash grant she went to buy medicines for her heart condition and for her sick children. She plans to consult with a doctor for her heart ailment and that of her two children when she receives the next cash grant. Some of it will also be allotted for household necessities.
   
Aling Gemma is overflowing with appreciation for the 4Ps program. It enabled them to acquire some of life's basic necessities and access medical care. They are still poor but not as destitute as they were before. More importantly, they have hope that things can get better with help from the government and their fellow Filipinos.  ### 4Ps Social Marketing Unit - May 25, 2009