Tanabata Dreams from the Field

We share the dreams of Lai Han, a wife in Cambodia; Mrs. Manni, a woman in Ethiopia; and Phillip, a graduate of the Pamulaan Center in the Philippines. The skies were clear this year - may their dreams come true! The photo of the milky way above was taken in beautiful Tsayte, Southern Ethiopia.

Thanks to the well HOPE, we are now able to access water quickly and easily. With this water, my husband and I have started our own family farm where we grow lemon grass, eggplants, bananas, and hot pepper, in both the rainy and dry seasons. As a result, we have more than enough food, allowing us to sell these crops and get a much higher profit out of it.

My current No.1 dream is to rebuild my home!

Up until now, we have been living in a simple house without walls. However, now that we are able to save money, we have started buying materials to use for rebuilding. As I look at my new house slowly being built, part by part, I know that my dream will be realised soon.

In 2016, HOPE built a water-supply system in the Tsayte District. After that, I received micro-credit assistance from HOPE and now I am dreaming of starting a new business with the women in my neighborhood!

Although their faces were familiar, I had never worked with anyone else outside my family, nor did I ever think about saving money. I was very surprised when I first heard about the idea. However, as I started talking with everyone, I realized that perhaps starting a business together was possible, and we started to communicate ideas seriously.

To start off with, we decided to breed animals like chickens and goats and sell them at the market. If we buy chicks and kid goats at a cheap price at the market and breed them successfully, we can get a high profit out of it. My dream is to prove that even women can do business, if given the opportunity.

I am from a small family living in a rural setting. I was very sick as a child, but by Taganiit's (God) grace I became free from sickness. But another problem arose, my parents could not support my studies because of the expensive fees and tuition. I thought that it would be the end of my dreams of continuing into university, but I was flabbergasted when my mother told me about Pamulaan and its free education. My prayers were answered when I was accepted into Pamulaan. I really didn’t know what to feel, I was so happy and at the same time afraid, because being a grantee is not an easy task. But I knew that this chance for an education would be my gateway to achieving my dreams. I enrolled as a student of Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and graduated.

Right now, I am working as an Anthropologist and a technical support staff for the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, a government agency that promotes the welfare of my fellow Indigenous Peoples. My work is to gather anthropological data from IP communities. Together, with my fellow anthropologists, we ensure that the customs and traditions of the ethno linguistic group will be amplified through our work and introduced to the mainstream society. Being an anthropologist is not easy, but I am happy because I am living my dreams. My dream now is to encourage every young person to continue on dreaming and keep on believing, because even if you fail once, it does not mean that you will fail every time. Daghang Salamat! Thank you.