As the oldest child, Caroline took the brunt of her abusive mother’s anger.  Her childhood was darkened with memories of her mother beating her while her father cried and tried to stop her.  She never knew the reason for her mother’s cruelty, or why it was directed only at her and not her siblings.  When she asked her mother, as an adult, why she continued to treat her badly even though she was a good daughter, her mother’s response was, “I became like this because of you.”

Caroline moved to Manila and dropped out of school at age 13.  Although some of her friends worked in the bars and pressured her to join them to make more money, Caroline’s childhood dream was to own her own barbeque stand.

Then, one night when she was working as a barbeque vendor, a policeman raped her. She was devastated, and shortly afterward gave into her friends, who made their lifestyle look attractive, bragging about how much money they had and how easy it was.  She was seventeen when she entered prostitution.

For the next four years, Caroline tried to numb her pain by using methamphetamines while working on the streets to support the five children she’d had with her boyfriend. When she some Samaritana staff during their weekly outreach to the bars, Caroline decided to leave prostitution and start a new life. But at the time, Samaritana did not yet have a daily allowance for its trainees, and cross-stitching was the only livelihood activity offered.  Caroline returned to the streets before completing a six-month cycle with Samaritana, but never forgot the women she met there and the life they offered. Although she didn’t think there was hope for her, she referred other women to Samaritana, who left the bars thanks to her encouragement.

Eight years later, Caroline saw the Samaritana women again, who encouraged her to come back. A few weeks later, Caroline returned to Samaritana, this time for good.  With the daily allowance and revenue from card-making, Caroline has been able to earn just enough to support her five children and stay out of prostitution. 

While Caroline’s family still doesn’t know about her history, and her mother refuses to have a relationship with her, Caroline is slowly learning to deal with her past and embrace her new future.  Thanks to the training at Samaritana, she has learned how to be an excellent food caterer, and is also gifted at card-making.  She had become a responsible, disciplined woman with leadership potential. 

“This is a good time to start a new life,” Caroline says.  “I’m learning so many new things here, and I know more about God, who I forgot when I was in the bars.  I’m returning back to Him.  I hope that the changes I’ve started here will continue.” 

Caroline describes herself as a shy person, but says she has learned how to make friends since coming to Samaritana, and would like to help other women by welcoming them into her house and bring them to Samaritana.  She would love to go back to school, and is working on finishing her high school equivalency here at Samaritana.

“Of course I don’t want to go back to the streets,” Caroline said. “Sometimes I think about it because life is so hard, but I’m not tempted anymore. I pray, Lord, take care of tomorrow.  He always answers my prayers.”