‘Kakanin’ with love

Only a few people found a way to smile in the middle of struggles. Rosemarie Sanda, 46, is one of the few whose positivity would not let anyone tell she has been carrying a burden all along.

“Problems kept coming in my life, which affects the people I cared for. Nevertheless, I have a happy home, so what more could I ask for? Who am I to question God about all my burdens?” said Rosemarie, a mother of four kids from Trento, Agusan del Sur, adding that life’s battles are hard to overcome, but it is what will make us stronger.

Five years ago, Rosemarie was diagnosed with cardiomegaly. According to Dr. Roderick Belen of CARD MRI’s Microfinance and Health Protection (MaHP) program, cardiomegaly is the enlargement of the heart. “Your heart becomes bigger than the normal size. Enlargement happens because the muscles of your heart work so hard that it thickens or the chambers widen,” added Dr. Belen.

Moreover, cardiomegaly may result to congestive heart failure because the heart does not pump blood effectively. “It is, however, not a disease but may be the reason for the manifestation of other related diseases,” said Dr. Belen adding that a need for lifelong treatment with medications is needed.

Twice that same year, Rosemarie was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). That situation made their family become financially unstable considering the high cost of treatment. The sari-sari store they own where they get their daily needs had to be closed. Danilo, her husband, doubled his efforts each day driving pedicab (pedal-operated tricycle) for commuters.

“At that time, we could not even buy school supplies for our children. Their birthdays are just greetings, nothing more. We are so down, my heart aches more,” shared Rosemarie as she recalled the worst years of their lives.

Rosemarie said that she was thankful to Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), a social development organization that offers microloans to support the livelihood activities of the socio-economically challenged women and families, in which she was a member for nine years already.

“CARD, Inc. helped us to start again. With a loan of PhP5,000, I was able to open again my sari-sari store,” said Rosemarie.

In 2012, she was able to push through her passion of cooking kakanin (native delicacies) like puto-cheese, sapin-sapin, biko, and pichi-pichi, among others. With another loan of PhP30,000, they were able to buy new equipment and utensils for cooking.

At present, the kakanin business has become a family business with her husband as business partner and their children who are willingly helping them day by day.

“We have to wake up at 3:00AM to start cooking, then at around eight in the morning, we have to display all of it in the market, schools, and government offices,” she said. The business is now earning around 1,800-2,000 pesos per day and more during holidays.

“Today, I chose to love more since I might not live long. I chose to do everything with love and appreciate every little bit of lovely in this life,” Rosemarie said.