Nora Mayao, a housewife and a sari-sari store owner of Brgy. San Roque, Caramoan in the province of Camarines Sur, is one of the 21,655 volunteers of Kalahi-CIDSS who learned to manage community projects. In October 2013, their water system (level II) was inaugurated which is being benefited by 163 households in the said barangay.

At first, Nora Mayao doubted herself but spurred herself to persist.

“Hababa man sana po ang inadalan ko pero nakaukod ako na makiuron sa kapwa ko. Nawara ang supog ko [Despite of being not being well-thought of, I learned to comport myself in the likes of others. I outgrew my shyness],” she said.

Nora, a high school graduate, shoved her timidity and pursued a satiable quest with the community. Without hesitation, she stepped out of her personal boundaries.

She hailed from San Roque, one of the 49 villages of Caramoan, Camarines Sur. And she described that her community also suffers from poverty.

Little is known that the tropical town of Caramoan is still perched in this predicament in spite of its natural flair and pristine treasures. Though its residents rely on fishing as its major source of income while some earn from agriculture, mining and tourism, still their pooled resources are not enough to support their families.

Furthermore, Nora could affirm to this even during her youthful years. Her high school diploma was a product by her sweat and perseverance.

Nora’s family could not settle her dues at school so she decided to work part-time in town. The monthly income of P300 suffices not only to her needs but she had to apportion some of her earnings to her parents. She never pursued college because of insufficient family income.

At the age of 21, she married Miguel. While her husband reared the family with the profits from farming, Nora supported him by setting up a convenience store at home.

For over 16 years of confinement to being a housewife and a businesswoman, she was engaged to participate in their community through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Dleivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), one of the poverty-reduction projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

It was in 2012 where she transitioned to becoming a leader. She was one of the volunteers elected by her colleagues for the said project who has rendered unreserved service to the community together with their barangay officials. She was gratified about the opportunity.

“Maogma ta nagtiwala samuya ang tao na makakatabang kami sa samuyang barangay [I am happy because the community entrusted to help our village],” she said.

After a consensual decision among the other 48 barangays in Caramoan, San Roque was one of those 20 communities who received the grant from Kalahi-CIDSS. The construction of their water system cost Php898,800 with Php743,800 of which is from the project and the rest were from the local government unit (LGU). It was completed in October 2013 and benefited by 163 households.

“Dakulaon po ang pasasalamat mi ta kung wara po ang Kalahi-CIDSS, hanggang ngunyan, wara po kaming inumon na tubig na pangangaipo talaga ning kagabsan [We are very thankful because without Kalahi-CIDSS, up to now, we don’t have potable water which all of us needed most],”she said.

Nora recounted that she suffered diarrhea and was rushed to their rural health facility in 2010 as the result of unsafe drinking water in their barangay. She also related that she and Miguel need to saddle all the laundry for six hours to the neighboring barangay to wash their clothes.

On the other hand, Nora went through different seminars, workshops and trainings on project development, procurement and operations and maintenance which demanded a lot of her time in Kalahi-CIDSS.

It was during this period when she had to juggle her time between her family, business and community. If there are meetings that will summon her presence, she had to close her store and at least Php500.00 was lost for the day.

“Bilang saro sa mga volunteers, naiintindihan ko po ang sitwasyon kang samuyang barangay kaya okay lang po na maski pag minsan isarado ang tindahan [As one of the volunteers, we know the situation of our community so I’m okay with that I occasionally close my store],” she said.

Nora worried less about her children because her youngest of her three kids was already in Grade 3 while her other children in college and high school, assisted her in completing household works.

“Pag wara nang gibo si Miguel, siya man po nagabantay sa tindahan. Tapos pag kahapon po, mga aki ko na man po [In case Miguel is free, he tends our store and in the afternoon its our children’s turn],” she said.

Despite of these things, her husband supported her.

“Okay man ta hangad mi man na makatabang sa kagabsan [I’m fine with it because we wanted to help the people],” Miguel said.

Moreover, she boosted the low spirits of the other 10 volunteers to continue in fulfilling their responsibilities. She fostered teamwork among the group to comply with the hefty paper works required by Kalahi-CIDSS.

“Pag dae kaya ning saro, nagapatarabang-tabangan kami para matapos [If one of us cannot do it, we make sure to help the others to complete our tasks],” she explained.

If there are things they don’t understand, they would consult Ryan Bornalo, the community facilitator of Kalahi-CIDSS and other DSWD staff who readily provided guidance and assistance all throughout the implementation of their project.

According to Ryan, Nora is dependable, dedicated and responsible to her duties as a volunteer. He can call her anytime of the day to check for updates and request for submission of documentary requirements for the construction of their water system.

“Isinapuso niya ang pagkavolunteer niya na gabos niya itinao para na makakatabang sa barangay [She committed herself to become a volunteer and gave her all to help her village],” he added.

Nora, now at the age of 36, got herself a post as one of the barangay councilors and was elected last 2013 during the election.

Asked why the people voted for her. This was her response: “Nahiling kaya ning tawo ang sakripisyo ko para sa barangay nung volunteer ako sa Kalahi-CIDSS [They have witnessed my sacrifices for the community as a Kalahi-CIDSS volunteer].