Resumen

Melissa Capalos is a thirty one (31) year old single mother of two sons and worked at JE Torres Trading in Bucal, Tanza, Cavite for five (5) years as secretary. Melissa had also worked as a freelance agent for different companies, especially in the Export Processing Zone (place where foreign investors can establish their businesses) in Cavite. Cavite is the place where a lot of junk materials are being collected and processes. She had always envisioned making a business out of these junk materials and trade them outside the EPZ area. 

The junk materials are sorted into good and scrap material. Scrap wood are sold to companies that use the wood to fuel  their broilers and the good wood is used to build furniture. Scrap metal is sold to smelters for recycling.

With the knowledge and experiences she gathered, Melissa started RM & MC Trading (named after her sons) in 2008. RM & MC Trading specializes in making furniture from the scrap wood collected in the EZP area. The furniture is distributed throughout Metro Manila and the province of Rizal.

Currently RM & MC Trading employs 20 workers, seventeen (17) of which are males and three (3) are females, and Melissa hires additional when needed on a per contract basis. The workers are out of school youths and Melissa offers them free board and lodgings. Melissa regularly donates sacks of rice for street children as well. Her sister works in financing, father and brother in production and her mother in marketing.

Lendahand partner NPFC is helping RM & MC Trading acquiring additional working capital to boost the production and to support incoming orders.