Life had always been hard to 21-year-old Khay Ann Igle who became a beggar at a tender age of 3 yet she worked hard to fulfill her dreams and recently graduated from college! Who would have thought a former beggar would have that chance at all?
Khay Ann and her family lives in the grounds of the Manila North Cemetery, a gloomy place to live considering that it is the oldest cemetery in Metro Manila, Philippines. But despite her parents’ efforts, they had difficulty making ends meet.
So, at age 3, Khay Ann started going out in the streets to ask for food and spare change from kindhearted people. By the time she was 5 years old, Khay Ann became an entrepreneur as she sold sampaguita not just near her home but going as far as the streets of Sampaloc, Quezon City, Cubao, and many places.
Photo credit: Handout / ABS-CBN News
“Ang buhay po ng pamilya namin sa sementeryo ay sobrang hirap. Kailangan po araw araw kumayod at magbenta ng sampagita para may makain kahit papaano. Minsan wala talaga. Minsan, yung pagkain po namin ay hihingiin ng iba at ibibigay po namin,” Khay Ann recalled.