Saving for a brighter future
My name is Anna Noh Hye-In, a teacher by profession. I am a Columban Lay Missionary from Korea based in the Philippines. I arrived here in April 2011. I spent my first year studying Tagalog and English and was then assigned to St Peter’s Parish in the Diocese of Novaliches, which is located on the outskirts of Manila.
It was very difficult at first adapting to a new culture and language. From the start however the parish priest, Fr Tony Labiao encouraged me to get involved in the different parish pastoral programmes such as the parish feeding programme, the pastoral care of women and their children and the various livelihood projects which help poor families generate extra sources of income.
Early this year, I helped begin a candle making livelihood project. It was Fr Tony who first saw the great potential in candle making as a way to provide additional income for poor families. He realized that while many candles were being sold in the church not one of them actually was produced there by local people.
I then decided to accept the challenge of trying to make this project work. I presented this project to the parish council and received US$1500 working capital. I used around a half of this money for the purchase of materials and equipment and for a training session in candle making. Around US$100 was used for a training seminar on family and work values and responsibilities and the remaining US$650 will be used for another project that will begin soon. This project will convert old rags into usable items.
I then approached five unemployed mothers who were all delighted to participate in the project. Next I began studying candle making by watching online videos. I had to learn how to prime a wick, prepare a mould, dye wax and the necessary safety tips to avoid accidents in the workplace. Sr Maria from Vietnam, a Little Sister of Jesus had experience in candle making and also helped us a lot. Once I had a fairly good idea of how to proceed, I began practicing making candles with the mothers.
We also discussed which type of candle would best serve the needs of the parish. The mothers and I continuously and patiently experimented and practiced until the day arrived when we felt we were ready to begin with the product that would sell best.
The project has now been operating for several months and has 16 mothers involved. They work several hours a day which gives them a small income which hopefully will increase in time as the project takes off. In order to expand this project, I received some financial support from my home parish back in Korea which is greatly appreciated.
One of the problems that I faced earlier on was when two of the original mothers left the project, giving the reason that they needed to earn more income elsewhere. I later realize that there was more to it than this. It seems that my difficulty in communicating in a foreign language had led to some misunderstandings and this had contributed to these mothers leaving the project. As a result I then spent a lot of time in reflection and prayer. I now try to express myself in a way more suitable to Filipino culture and in a way that will not lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
It is important to keep in mind that the candle making project is a part of the St Peter’s parish community development scheme. This seeks to achieve holistic growth for the mothers involved in the economic, political and spiritual spheres. Parish pastoral agents work with the mothers in the area of goal-setting for themselves and for the entire team.
The mothers are encouraged to save money from their earnings and to make plans for the future. To emphasize the necessity of saving money, the parish has begun a saving scheme where 5% of the members’ earnings are deposited in “The Light the Life Fund.” This is the saving fund of the members. This fund will also help finance the expansion of the project.
We have also developed special candle products which are sold in the parish religious store to a larger and different market. Proceeds from the sale of these special candle products finance the mothers’ outings and recollection days and other activities.
It gives me great joy to see the success of the candle making project. I love to see the joy on the faces of the mothers when they receive their earnings. It warms my heart when the mothers approach me and thank me. The mothers have begun to feel that they are responsible citizens and take an interest in electing the best candidate in the local elections and other areas of local concern. The mothers have grown in their faith in God and the importance of reaching out to others in need. All of this has led to a greater empowerment of these women.
The rag project will start soon and this will offer other women opportunities to increase their family income. We are also preparing new modules as a part of the formation programmes for the mothers with topics such as health and exercise, diet, women’s health, positive attitudes and computer literacy.
I am frequently asked by others, “How do you do all of this?”
I always reply, “With a lot of help from God.”
I also have grown in my trust in God and I truly believe that God will continue to help us and bless this work. I believe that God has empowered myself as well as the mothers to reach out to others.
Anna Noh Hye-In was interviewed for this story by Marivic H. Mercene, a Columban lay mission staff member in the Philippines.
Read more from The Far East, August 2016