Lorencia Escalera faced various challenges growing up. This enabled her to become more courageous, more so when she started a family of her own.
Lorencia Escalera, 67, a mother of six
from Padre Garcia, Batangas, served as her children’s strongest educator
merely by virtue of her
personality. A sixth of ten
siblings, life was not easy
for her. It was tough for
their parents to complete
their schooling, but they
worked hard to guarantee
that everyone has even
basic education. Even
though only two of them
completed education, her
siblings became successful business owners.
She says that
their parents played an important role in her siblings’
success. Despite being
the only factory worker
among her siblings, she
was not discouraged; rather, her desire to one day
own a business grew even
stronger.
Lorencia’s courage was tested when she
had her own family. She
faced greater responsibilities as a wife and a mother herself. Her husband is
a farmer, and she knows
that it is insufficient to
meet their needs, yet she
chose to be a housewife. “I
don’t care what other people think; what matters to
me is that I can focus on
my children’s growth.”
Lorencia carefully managed her husband’s earnings for their
children’s education and
accompanied them as
they chased their dreams,
saying, “I know there is a
right time for me to fulfill
my dream, but at that time,
I choose to guide my children.”
When some of
her children were about
to finish school and had
successfully raised them,
Lorencia knew it was time
to pursue her dream.
Lorencia joined
CARD SME Bank, a thrift
bank that provides financial and non-financial services to help its clients develop. She took out a loan
to use as capital for her
own sari-sari store.
Together with
her husband, they worked
hard to earn whatever they
could. CARD SME Bank
has been a huge help in
her children’s education,
family needs, and her
store, which is quite popular among Padre Garcia
residents.
As a result, her
family’s life eventually improved; their children completed school and are now
successful in their respective careers.
However, their
family’s courage was
shaken when the eldest
son passed away. While
it was a difficult time for
the family, they decided
that honoring their eldest
son by pursuing their own
dreams is the best way
forward. “The most essential thing we can pass on
to our children is courage,”
she concluded.
Lorencia believes that as they move
forward in life, the CARD
SME Bank will be there to
help them achieve greater
dreams with courage
