My name is Elena Dugan, a mother of three. Ivy Joane, who’s 22 years old, Maria Angella, who’s 20, and Ivan, who’s turning 7 this year. Ivy and Angella were both KapatidKita MahalKita (KM) foundation scholars. Ivy recently graduated with a degree in BS Management with a Specialization in International Business at Ateneo de Manila University, while Angella is an incoming third-year BS Statistics student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Currently, I work as a street vendor while my husband is a construction worker. Given the nature of our work, our salary is barely enough to support our daily needs. So, if one of our kids suddenly gets sick or needs to pay or buy something for school, then we cannot help but borrow money from our friends or family since our salary will not be able to cover unexpected expenses like that. For that, we feel so thankful for KM because they helped us in providing for the needs of our family. With KM, my daughters were able to have complete school supplies and allowance every school year. Additionally, KM also helped us in fixing our roof, which lessened the leaking that we experience every time it rains.

Nevertheless, more than the financial support, I’m also grateful to KM because they renewed our hope. Hope that all my kids can finish their schooling, eventually have jobs, and ultimately, live their lives to the fullest. Having this opportunity truly changed our lives for the better, and it's really something that I would always treasure, thank you for, and pray for.