Fifty-three year old Alma Ilanza is a member of Gawad Kalinga’s Invisible Sisters, one of Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship beneficiaries. Know more about how Accenture is helping hard-working women like Alma weave their dreams into reality.

1. 30 Special Stories

2. Because of financial difficulty, it took me
some time to finally graduate from college. In
fact, I had to stop studying during my second
year so I could help my family financially. It
was then when I decided to go to Manila to
train as a lady guard. When I finished my
training, I was lucky enough to be hired by
Manila Midtown Hotel. Despite having a full
time job, I still dreamed of getting my degree,
so during my spare time, I really took strides
in finding a school that I could afford. I
enrolled myself and finally, after a lot of hard
work, was able to get my college degree and
my diploma in Criminology.
Now, that I had my college degree, I was able
to get a better paying job at the Immigration
Department of the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA). After some time, I decided
to settle down and have a family of my own,
while still working for NAIA. It was when I
conceived my third child when I had no choice
but to leave my job. You see, my third child
was born a “special child.”
Weaving dreams into reality
“I have always dreamed of being
a Philippine Air Force pilot but my
parents did not allow me to pursue
my dream, so I just strived hard to
get a degree in Criminology.”

3. Fifty-three year old Alma
Ilanza is a member of Gawad
Kalinga’s Invisible Sisters,
one of Accenture’s Corporate
Citizenship beneficiaries. By
supporting the training of
women in Tondo and Taguig,
and establishing a market for
their products at SM Kultura,
Accenture helps them weave
their dreams into reality.
Years later, now that my special child has grown and is easier
to care for, I decided to look for work but at my age, I could not
anymore consider doing what I used to do. I then discovered
Gawad Kalinga’s Invisible Sisters and they taught me how to
crochet different types of plastic material into reusable and
saleable items like fashion bags, wallets, purses and other
plastic containers. We were provided all the materials that we
needed for free and was also allowed to sell what we made.
This has helped me provide food on the table for my family and
have likewise given me something productive to do.
In terms of pay, I really cannot compare how much I earn now
to what I was making before but I am very proud of what I do
now. Besides, using my creativity in designing different types
of fashionable plastic items, I also help clean the environment.
It’s funny because even my neighbors now have joined in. They
now give me their plastic waste which I then transform into
beautiful things. The popular saying, “There is money in trash,”
now has literally more meaning for me.

4. Copyright © 2015 Accenture
All rights reserved.
Accenture, its logo, and
High Performance Delivered
are trademarks of Accenture.