Mindanaotoday.com | Pure passion: The life of an extraordinary craftsman
SONNY Tanada has seen everything: setbacks, sadness and victory.
He was living an uneventful life in Tagum City when, in 2009, he was injured in a motorcycle accident that left his right leg so badly damaged that it had to be amputated.
As a result of his disability, Sonny was unemployed for almost ten years, until he met a furniture shop owner who took a chance on him.
“I owe him a lot,” says Sonny about his former employer. “Like me, he is a person with a disability. He constantly reminded me to learn the craft because he saw the potential in me and that I could be running my own business someday.”
Sonny says his former boss encouraged him to learn more about business.
He attended numerous training workshops, but nothing caught his fancy or sparked his passion until he started learning how to make rattan furniture.
“I started [learning how to make] rattan furniture only in January 2020. It was not very difficult because I had previously worked in the construction industry. Though we got no salary, we were trained for free. I persevered because I wanted to develop my skills,” he says.
Through his employer’s contacts, Sonny learned about the Davao Jubilee Foundation (DJF), a non-profit organization that provides free physical rehabilitation services to disabled people in Mindanao.
He took a leave of absence from his company to focus on his rehabilitation at DJF.
“My stay at DJF was free, including the food we ate every day. It was such a relief because we are poor. My father has passed away [while my] mother depends on my father’s pension,” says Sonny.
Sonny felt triumphant after he finished his rehabilitation in September 2021. His life was back on track, and he thought he could go back to his old job.
But he was shattered when he learned that his employer had decided to close the business down and move to another city. Sonny was left jobless.
Except for the small amount that he received from DJF, he had no other source of income and was forced to rely on his mother and siblings to support him.
Just when Sonny thought there was no way out, the staff of DJF told him about the International Committee of the Red Cross` (ICRC) microeconomic initiative (MEI) programme.
He immediately applied for the grant, with the intention of opening his own rattan furniture store in Tagum City.
When his application was approved, Sonny bought all the necessary materials and equipment.
“If my business proposal had not been approved, I would have been in big trouble because I did not know where to go,” he says.
Sonny’s furniture business flourished quickly, and he was able to become financially independent.
“I receive a lot of orders so that I cannot accommodate everyone anymore. I never expected such a time,” says Sonny with a hint of pride.
To accommodate his growing list of clients, Sonny is planning to hire an assistant.
He also intends to ask his girlfriend, who currently works in Saudi Arabia, to move back to Tagum City since he can now support her too.
“I believe that I can provide for our needs now, so I want her to come home,” he explains.
He shares that his success has made him believe that he can do anything, despite his disability.
“I see to it that I deliver quality work and take care of my clients. That is my secret to success… I am happy, and my clients are happy. They trust my work. Every time I reflect on this, I get emotional,” says Sonny.
About ICRC`s microeconomic initiative (MEI) program:
The MEI programme of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides vocational training, grants and microcredit support to people affected by conflict and disabled people.
A microeconomic grant can be used to either start or expand a business venture.
It also places beneficiaries at the heart of the decision-making process, giving them greater ownership of the income-generating project.
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