OFW saves salary for 2 years to climb Everest neighbor peak

MANILA, Philippines – Climbing out of poverty can be like climbing a mountain. And Liza Avelino, 43, a Filipino domestic helper in Hong Kong, did both.

Avelino’s story was reported in the South China Morning Post where she describes what inspired her to climb a neighboring peak of Mt Everest. She tells SCMP: “When I was little, I had a dream to travel the world. But there was a lack of resources – time, money, I didn’t have it.”

The OFW in Hong Kong had saved her salary for 2 years to be able to climb the mountain. She paid about $3,500 to a trekking company to take her up the peak. She climbed 6,189 meters and reached a neighboring peak of the mountain. 

According to the SCMP, Avelino was born and raised in Davao City. Both of her parents were farmers and couldn’t afford to send her to school. She became a domestic helper at the age of 24, in 1996.

She fell in love with the out doors after her first employer encouraged her to do more than picnic at Statue Square in Hong Kong, a popular pastime among Filipino workers in Hong Kong.

“I found that Hong Kong trails are more beautiful to see when you’re on top of a mountain,” she said.

Read the complete story on the South China Morning Post. – Rappler.com

Photo of Mt Everest region via Shutterstock