When COVID-19 lockdowns took place last March 2020, Renalyn worried about the daily needs of their family. Renalyn, 33, a mother of five children, sells rice meals, while her husband works as a key duplicator. But the lockdowns forced both of them to stop working and rely heavily on the generosity of their neighbors and non-profit organizations.
While the loss and challenges of the pandemic have been felt by everyone, it is clear that the effect of Covid-19 and the resulting lockdowns have been particularly impactful on working parents.
“Two of my four school-aged children had to stop schooling because we could no longer afford,” Renalyn shared. “I had to resort to borrowing money just to get by, hoping that the pandemic would end soon.”
After two years since COVID-19 shook their lives, Renalyn is now able to sell again. Her children are now back in school but her income remains meager, and her supposed savings go to her debts.
When she learned that she was one of the beneficiaries of Save the Children Philippines’ Multipurpose Cash Assistance under its COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project, she was very excited because she no longer needs to struggle about providing for the educational needs of her children. Her ten-year-old son, Justin* (not his real name), was also one of the beneficiaries of the tablet.
“The cash assistance of 2,700 pesos was a very big help,” Renalyn shared “I bought a SIM card and prepaid load cards that my children can use for their online classes.” Renalyn also shared that she had set aside a little amount to purchase rice that could last them for a few weeks.
Renalyn said the assistance was of big help to them because she was able to focus the income from her business to completely pay off her debts.
“Thanks to Save the Children, I can now direct my resources to providing the needs of my children,” said Renalyn.