An exhausted Hermie came home after a long day at sea. His hard work as a fisherman’s helper earned him just P50 on good days and next to nothing on bad ones. We asked him what his dream was, and we expected him to say that his dream was to own a fishing boat. However, his response surprised us. It turns out Hermie’s life was so hard that he did not even have the energy to dream. He stared at us blankly and said he had no dream.
And so, we were determined to help him dream again! We put his name on the list for possible recipients of a PeterProject fishing boat.
In November 2012, Hermie signed an agreement with NVC Foundation as a beneficiary of a fishing boat. Part of the agreement was that he and the other beneficiaries would provide the labor to make their fishing boats. On February 5, 2013, we turned over Hermie’s fishing boat.
Despite having had such a hard life for years, Hermie’s first thought when he began to earn better was for others and not for himself. On his first day as a fisherman, Hermie gave his entire catch to the Church and he gave his second day’s catch to his children’s school. During an interview in December 2013, he and fellow Peter Project fisherman Joesan shared that they started setting aside some savings so that they could help others in the community.
Eric John had his bouts with mischief in his teens. He fell into some bad company and started to skip school At one point, he even ran away from home! During the pandemic, he had to drop out of school because he did not have a gadget for distance learning. But in August 2021, Eric John met a pastor and began to see the light.
With financial assistance from another man of God, Eric John went back to school. In July, he graduated from Senior High School with honors. Armed with a Senior High School diploma, he set his sights on a college degree. He dreams of a career at sea–somewhat like his father’s job but a bit different. Instead of wanting to become a fisherman, he wants to become a seaman–with a twist! In addition to becoming a seaman, he wants to bring the Good Word to all corners of the world–he wants to be a fisher of men!
We were excited to hear about this dream and eager to help the family make it happen. Fishermen are among the poorest of sectors in the country, so this is a dream that the family will need some help achieving. We assured Eric John and Hermie that we would find a way to see this dream come true! This was a gamble on our part because, at that time, we had not yet found a sponsor for him! But it seems that Hermie’s kindness and generosity in the past have earned the family some good karma!
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