Mary Lou Calpe never let hardship stand in the way of her goal of earning a college degree in Elementary Education from Daraga Community College.

Growing up amid difficult circumstances, Calpe learned early on how to endure. Her dream was modest but resolute — to finish school, find steady work, and make sure her family would never go hungry.

At just 21, Calpe is a single mother to a four-year-old daughter and the sole breadwinner of her family.

Like many new graduates, she faced the intimidating leap from school to professional life. But for a cash-strapped single parent, the hidden costs of employment — medical clearances, transportation, and lack of experience — felt less like hurdles and more like walls.

That wall began to crack when Calpe became a beneficiary of the cash-for-work program under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

For her, the program was more than temporary employment. It was the opening she had been waiting for.

“When I learned that I would be assigned to the DSWD, it felt like a stepping stone. As a fresh graduate, it became one of the experiences I could carry into the future. Being in an office environment made me feel professional,” Calpe said in Filipino.

Assigned to the DSWD Field Office 5 in the Bicol Region, Calpe immersed herself in office work — encoding databases and organizing documents that support programs for disadvantaged communities. In many ways, she was helping improve lives not unlike her own.

The program provided Calpe with P20,460.37, enough to finally cover her pre-employment requirements. But the deeper impact went beyond finances.

Entrusted with leading a group of fellow students and graduates, Calpe learned collaboration, responsibility, and her confidence began to build. She was no longer just participating — she was leading.

“This program helps people grow, not only through work experience but personally as well. It builds confidence and allows them to improve themselves,” she said.

Each document filed and each hour worked became an investment in a better future for Calpe and her daughter.