Finding light in new opportunities

“Nadapa man noon, marunong na bumangon ngayon."

Allaiza Ondez, a Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) Farmers' Training  Program alumna, brings her learnings in every aspect of her life.

In 2021, she was among the 4Ps members from Pasay City invited to join the KSK training from July to November 12. Their batch was given training on agri-technology, focusing on land preparation, proper seed growing, transplanting, fertilization, plastic mulching, harvesting, and marketing. After months of training, they graduated last December 15, 2021, at the SM Mall of Asia.

Ondez is among the 50 urban farmers who joined the KSK Training Program in Pasay in 2021.

“Dati po, isa akong simpleng maybahay. Bilang isang ina, naisipan ko pong sumali sa KSK para sa karagdagang kita na maari kong pantustos sa gastusin ng aking mga anak. Natuto ako, hindi lang tungkol sa pagtatanim, kundi pati rin sa pagnenegosyo–maging mga aral sa buhay,” she said.

But just as she was about to pursue her learnings from KSK, a fire broke out in their community. While the incident took their homes and the garden they were cultivating–it didn’t take her fighting spirit.

Like a seedling, she continued to persist as the sun rose.

Allaiza Ondez receives a food cart from SM Prime and SM Cares PadyaKabuhayan Program.

Allaiza Ondez prepares her products during the PadyaKabuhayan turnover ceremony.

Allaiza stood back up through another shot at entrepreneurship. She was one of the beneficiaries of SM Cares and SM Prime’s PadyaKabuhayan Program. She and six others received PadyaKabuhayan Carts, bike food carts outfitted with food storage and cooking equipment. Each recipient also received P10,000 cash assistance from DTI.

“Ang mga libreng training ng SM–mula sa KSK at sa PadyaKabuhayan–ay talagang malaking tulong para sa aming mga nanay dahil natuto kaming mag-negosyo. Mayroon na kaming gastusin para sa aming pang-araw araw. Hindi ko na kailangan mangutang para sa pag-aaral ng aking mga anak,” she said.

“Ngayon po, tulong tulong kaming mag-anak sa pagbangon at pag aasikaso ng aming food cart. At bilang isang mapalad na napili ng SM na pinagkalooban ng pangkabuhayan, pagyayamanin ko ito, aalagaan, pagyayamanin, at pananatilihing malinis at maayos para sa kalusugan ng mamimili at ng aming komunidad,” she added.