Her flock comes rare and unnoticed but yet, its course is certain and destination is golden. Soledad Obedoza Montilla belongs to these blessed angels who come steady in times of trouble and most importantly, provide comfort and peace to the less fortunate in our society in the Philippines.  And so, let us travel back in time with her through her stories that show a glimpse of why and how she has chosen the path a few people dare to thread.

       How did you get involved with Gawad Kalinga (GK)?                                                               What opened me up was a course I took on Just Faith, about Social Justice for 9 months after retiring from the Virginia Department of Veteran Affairs in January 2004. Then, Pete and I became members of Couples for Christ in 2005. Gawad Kalinga was the outreach ministry for the poor. In November 2005, I attended, a WOW GK Event in Wash. DC, attended by over 500 people, mostly about creating awareness about GK in USA. It was at this event that I had the conversion or transformation experience.  They showed videos of children scavenging for food for the next meal, or pick up items to sale from a mountain of trash, famously known as Smokey Mountain. During the show, I started to cry and sob almost throughout the whole show, so deeply touched by it. So, I prayed and asked to Lord for knowledge and wisdom on how I could help our countrymen. And that prayer was answered when the idea of forming a Team GK Hampton Roads came into being. I formed it with members of our prayer group with Couples for Christ whose main focus was to raise funds for the victims of typhoons. The first Village was in Matawe, Dingalan, Aurora, province, then second one was in Santa Justina, Buhi, Camarines Sur. Then the third one was with the Philippine Nurses Association of America, this one was a product of a presentation done with the Philippine Nurses Association of Virginia who lead the way to have the other chapters contribute at least one GK house along with individual donors. So that was how it began.

     What triggered you to build Gawad Kalinga Namnama Village?                                             I attended a GK Build in Orion, Bataan, Feb.2008  with a group of 10 people, mostly, Fil-Ams from US and local volunteers, where we spent 5 days and got total immersion on the works of GK. We stayed in a local hotel at night then we are taken to the GK site every morning until late afternoon, where we experienced making hollow blocks, mixing cement, really hands on work with the future beneficiaries, had lunch with them and spent time with the children and other volunteers. On the last day of our stay, we had a tour of the places where the future beneficiaries were coming from, we went to a cemetery and saw first-hand people living there on top of tombs, it is the living, living with the dead. Then, we went to a "beach front" property, but what you see are hundreds of shacks just floating it seems on the water. I can never forget the foul smell that emits from those houses, as waste and trash are just floating below. The residents also said that children had drowned when they fall from the cracks of bamboo woven floors which lead to the houses.

      So at the end of the build, I went home to Villasis. At that time, my three other sisters were present at home.  So I brought up the idea of my donating a piece of land which I inherited which I actually had not seen, just knew that I had a title of the land named to me and Pete before my parents passed away. They all agreed and said okay. The very next day, my youngest sister took me to Piaz to visit that land. It was a beautiful sight to see as it was full of eggplants, all two hectares of it. So, my sister asked, do you still want to donate the land? And I said without hesitation, “Yes of course, my mind was already made up even before seeing it.” Then the following day, the four of us went to see the Mayor of Villasis and actually donated it right there to LGU. Why did I do that? I felt that I was not doing enough of my share in giving back to our community and to the less fortunate brothers and sisters. So the GK Villasis Namnama Village was born.

      How did the Namnama name of the village come about?                                                         I was the fourth child in the family of 6 living children. The first three my father used to say was zero, my oldest sister Jovita went to college in UST, but she got pregnant and had to stop school. My two brothers got involved with barkada and the wrong crowd. They went to college but also dropped out. So came along Sol, actually a favored child, and he frequently says, "Ni Soledad ti Namnama iti familia tayo,” so when I told that story to the GK Pangasinan head at the time he said, ”That is it, we will call the Village Namnama.”

      Sol has told me that she will try to answer as much as she can. She never wrote her story before. She has always delivered it when asked on the spot. Sol says, “I just ask the Holy Spirit to put words in my mouth and touch the hearts of those who will hear.”

      What are her feelings of satisfaction?                                                                                          No amount of words can describe what satisfaction there is to see lives transformed before your eyes and being an instrument in making this happen. I am always humbled and in awe when the residents come up to say how grateful they are for the opportunity given to them to help rise from whatever situation they were in before they were awarded a house and lot they can call their own.. This weekend, they are celebrating the 6th year Founding Anniversary, and always doing it to coincide with my birthday celebration. The satisfaction of seeing them grow as a community and self- governing as a group is beyond our wildest dreams. Now, the project director and punong lingkod is one of their own. Pete and I remain to be their consulting caretakers and management team. They are now trained to stand on their two feet.