The Limpangog family has been trying very hard to survive. In their efforts they have tried various small businesses, which includes selling food - tempura, bananaque, fishballs and gulaman (a type of gelatin with condensed milk and sugar) and they and also attempting to raise pigs. They received capital for the food store/stand/kiosk from a friend named Robert and I have provided them with the capital for the construction of a pig pen and the purchase of four (4) pigs (later we'll buy more, totalling six (6) pigs).
I was also told that one of the pigs almost choked to death as someone had given the pig a plastic bag to eat. There is the suspicion that this was done by a jealous neighbor (something not uncommon there) as no one knows how the pig got the bag.
They have faced various problems including Elvira needing two (2) teeth removed and having burnt her hand as she slipped while cooking the tempura and her hand went into the hot oil in the pan on the stove. Additionally they have faced other health problems.
I can verify her two teeth, one on each side just in front of the wisdom teeth, were broken. I had seen them myself while I was there and they were broken/split in half and had turned black. I told her they would later cause her much pain and indeed later they did.
When I was with Elvira in March 2012 she asked me to buy a toothbrush for her. When we returned to the house she used it and knew what to do. After I returned from my trip I thought about this and decided to ask her when was the last time she had a toothbrush. She said she never owned a toothbrush before.
You may have possibly seen her beautiful smile in photos and wondered how she had maintained it, i'll explain. I often sat and with amazement watched her take pieces of wood (like splinters) and use them to clean her teeth. She would be intensely focused on cleaning her teeth. I often warned her to be careful (worried she'd cause her gums to bleed) but I guess after many years of doing so she knows very well what she is doing.
Despite my help they still struggle very much financially because they are a family of 10 people (not including their grandmother that occasionally stays with them). They have many expenses which include tuition for the university (UCLM), transportation to the university (it is far), school uniforms and supplies for eight (8), money for snacks/meals, transportation to the other schools, etcetera and many other various expenses including food. This leaves them with no extra money for medicine and even money for clothes is a problem. For example Elvira shares clothes and people I know have noticed and asked me why, because of her appearance.
Below are photos of their business ventures (as I had just described):
