The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) held the 2024 Gawad Sulong Awards recently. It is the first nationwide awarding ceremony that recognizes participants, employees, and partners of the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
Among this year’s awardees is Marjorie Samaniego, whose ginger tea business, Cesmar Enterprise, was recognized as “Best Individual Microenterprise.” Based in Hermosa, Bataan, her business has been up and running for almost 10 years now.
Image Credit: dswd.gov.ph
SLP Beneficiary Receives Gawad Sulong 2024 Award
Marjorie’s story is featured in a DSWD press release, where she reflects on her journey — from facing financial difficulties and struggling to make ends meet — to starting a business and achieving success with her ginger tea enterprise.
Life Before Joining SLP
Before joining the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), Marjorie and her husband struggled financially to provide for the needs of their three children.
“Before po ako napasama sa SLP, medyo mahirap dahil ang hanapbuhay po ng asawa ko ay pagsasaka. Alam naman natin na ang pagsasaka, medyo mahirap talaga (Before I became part of SLP, life was hard because my husband worked as a farmer. And we know that farming is difficult),” she shared during an interview for “Kwento ng Pag-Asa at Pagbabago” (Stories of Hope and Transformation), an online documentary program of the DSWD.
“May time na makararanas ka ng mga kalamidad, kahit maganda yung palay mo, pag may dumating na peste, medyo mahirap po (There are times when we experienced calamities. Even if our rice is good, if it gets attacked by pests, it gets hard),” she added.
To earn additional income for the family, Marjorie began raising pigs and selling homemade goods. “Nag-start po ako nung maliliit pa po yung mga anak ko at hog raising po ang isa talaga sa pinagkakakitaan ko noon (I began raising pigs when my kids were still young. Hog raising was my source of income then),” she said.
“Naglalako rin po ako noon ng mga sibuyas at iba pa pong basic goods at nag-try din po akong gumawa ng peanut butter na ibinebenta ko naman po sa sa mga kaibigan at kakilalala (I also sold onions and other basic goods. I tried making peanut butter and selling it to my friends and acquaintances),” she recalled.
Starting a Ginger Tea Business
In 2015, Marjorie became part of the DSWD’s SLP program. She joined training sessions provided by the DSWD as well as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). These sessions, which included training on food processing and entrepreneurship, further honed her skills in creating homemade products.
In the same year, using her new skills and a seed capital of PHP 5,000 from the SLP, Marjorie established Cesmar Enterprise. She focused on producing ginger tea or ginger brew, a product that is known for its health benefits and unique flavor.
Like other businesses, Cesmar Enterprise faced challenges, especially during the first year. Back then, Marjorie’s consumer market was limited to family and friends, and expanding the business was difficult. She was determined to succeed, however, and actively participated in community events and trade fairs.
Image Credit: Cesmar Enterprise / Facebook
Developing and Expanding the Business
“Sinikap ko po talaga na tuwing may nag-iinvite ng trade fair, naging matiyaga po talaga ako sa pag-attend. ‘Yun pong ibang sinusupply-an ko ngayon, doon ko lang rin po na-meet (Whenever I am invited to a trade fair, I try my best to attend. Some of my customers today, I met them during these events),” Marjorie said.
Gradually, her products became more popular. More and more customers liked the quality of her products, and many of her buyers became regular customers and resellers, as well.
Nowadays, Marjorie’s ginger tea products are sold at 13 outlets in different parts of Bataan province, including pharmacies and “pasalubong” (gifts/souvenirs) shops. To learn more about her enterprise and products, check out the official Facebook page of Cesmar Enterprise.
Thankful for DSWD and SLP
According to Marjorie, the DSWD played a crucial role in her journey as an entrepreneur. She continues to benefit from the guidance and opportunities provided by the SLP program.
With regard to her 2024 Gawad Sulong award, she is thankful to DSWD for recognizing her and giving her a cash prize, which she can use to further support her ginger tea business.
“Maraming salamat po sa mga government agencies na patuloy na tumutulong po sa aming maliliit na negosyante, especially sa Sustainable Livelihood Program ng DSWD (Thank you to government agencies that continue to help small businesses like mine, especially to the Sustainable Livelihood Program of DSWD),” she mentioned.
Image Credit: Cesmar Enterprise / Facebook
About the SLP Program
The SLP is a capacity-building program that seeks to support those who come from poor, vulnerable, and marginalized families and communities. By providing them with skills training and seed capital, they are able to start businesses and engage in livelihood programs to sustain their day-to-day living.
The SLP program involves two main tracks: Microenterprise Development (MD) and Employment Facilitation (EF). The first track, Microenterprise Development, focuses on providing participants with skills training, entrepreneurship training, and seed capital so they can start and sustain their own businesses. Meanwhile, the second track, Employment Facilitation, focuses on building people’s skills and providing employment assistance, so that they can acquire jobs and support their families.
Final Thoughts
Marjorie Samaniego is just one of the many people who have benefited from the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). Her story shows that despite people’s humble beginnings, as long as they are hard-working, determined and able to receive the right kind of support, they can achieve whatever they set their minds on!
Speaking of the SLP, one of its main tracks is Employment Facilitation. This is the track that enabled another beneficiary to enhance her skills and build a successful career, this time in the field of tailoring or dressmaking. Check out this article to learn more about her story!