2025 Lydia Award Stories
Meet Our 2025 Finalists
In the spirit of Lydia, PEER Servants sponsors the Annual Lydia Award. It recognizes those micro-entrepreneurs having significant impact in their families and communities. Read the stories of this year’s three finalists below.
Through the voting of our Lydia Award Team (45% of total vote), this online voting (10% of total vote), and the voting among those who attended our Virtual Lydia Celebration and Lydia Celebration Banquet (45% of total vote), we selected Vijitha, a Tailor and Poultry Farmer from Sri Lanka, as our 2025 Lydia Award recipient. Congratulations to all of the Nominees and Finalists, and especially Vijitha, the YGro-HEED team that serves her, and PEER Servants’ Team Sri Lanka.
Join us in thanking God for the transformation in the lives of these hardworking micro-entrepreneurs and, through them, the lives of many others.
Edgar
Convenience Store/Transport Owner/Aspiring Restaurateur
Philippines
Edgar is a 61 year old entrepreneur from the Philippines, Born into poverty, he moved to Manila in 1982, only to find that he didn’t have the skillset needed to get an attractive job. He fell into substance abuse and homelessness. For 26 years he lived in and out of prison, surviving by pickpocketing and scavenging. Then, one day Edgar started attending CCT’s “Kaibigan” (the Tagalog word for “friend”) ministry to those living on the streets. He was given a meal, friendship, and words of hope. He couldn’t fathom this good news that God loved him. In 2008, Edgar embraced the grace of God and decided to become a follower of Jesus. CCT walked with him on not just the first mile of his transformation, but the second as well – providing jobs in construction and cooking in which this “reborn” Edgar did well.
In 2015, Edgar used a $100 CCT loan to open a “sari sari” (convenience) store. The store now produces a stable income for Edgar, his wife and his son. Larger micro-loans allowed Edgar to acquire a three-wheel taxi to provide community rides and delivery services. He stated, “If not for the Lord, I would have been dead. But by God’s grace and mercy, I persevered.” Edgar did far more than persevere. He became a powerful agent of transformation in the lives of others on the streets.
Now his passion is to offer that same grace to others, especially street dwellers. Edgar shares food, encouragement, scripture and prayer at his store. He has received many loans from CCT – now much larger than the initial $100 – and he has never missed a repayment! Edgar aspires to open a small restaurant to employ former street dwellers. Space at the restaurant will be used for Bible study and discipleship. He sees all of his businesses as places of ministry. His neighbors are also former street dwellers who are now on their own path of transformation, and he is teaching them informal business lessons
Edgar’s life demonstrates that even the most broken can be beautifully restored and that God’s kingdom on earth transforms those seemingly without hope. His amazing transformation from the streets of Manila to a faithful husband, father, business owner, and job creator make him a very deserving candidate for the Lydia Award.
Vijitha
Tailor/
Poultry Farmer
Sri Lanka
Vijitha and her family are from a small, war-torn village in northern Sri Lanka, still recovering from the brutal civil war. Her hard-working husband became bedridden with a painful kidney condition, and their survival as a family of seven rested on her shoulders. Vijitha stitched clothes by candlelight, sold eggs in the local marketplace, and walked long distances to deliver orders. With the help of a loan from Y Gro-Heed, PEER Servants’ Sri Lankan partner, she started her business with a sewing machine and a few chickens. Seeing her neighbors’ need for support, Vijitha gathered widows, war survivors, and struggling mothers into her modest home. Over cups of tea and the hum of her sewing machine, she shared both the skills she had acquired and a belief that they, individually and collectively, could change the trajectory of their lives. She taught these women how to earn, save, and dream again and a quiet network of 20+ empowered women emerged who now work producing garments, handcrafts and farm goods.
Vijitha’s business is a source of hope in her village. Through her earnings, she supports widows, the elderly, and families in need with donations of eggs, vegetables, and meals. Despite her own financial challenges, she has provided school supplies and uniforms for children of struggling mothers. Through her generosity and leadership, she and the group she formed have begun offering interest free loans to help other women start small businesses or manage emergencies.
Vijitha has fulfilled her dream of being able to send her children to study at university. She dreams of a day when other children in her village can have the same opportunity. She hopes to launch a small women’s cooperative center where women can work together, receive business training, and support one another emotionally and spiritually.
Vijitha lives by the principle that blessings are meant to be shared. Her generosity has inspired others in the village to give, serve, and look after one another – creating a culture of compassion and mutual uplifting. To the many women and families she has helped and inspired, Vijitha is so much more than a mother and a mentor. She is a leader, hero, and force of resilience, and very deserving of receiving the Lydia Award.
Sergiu
Beekeeper/Natural Health Products Manufacturer
Moldova
Sergiu is more than a beekeeper – he is a generational bridge, a spiritual leader, and the founder of Prisaca din Luncă, a growing natural health brand in southern Moldova. As a fourth generation beekeeper, he transformed a family tradition into a thriving business producing premium honey, wax candles, and unique bee-based health products, all handcrafted from his own apiary and native plants.
What began with just a few inherited hives and market stalls became a registered enterprise with modern processing tools and a dedicated shop, thanks to a transformational partnership with Invest Credit, PEER Servants’ Moldovan partner. Sergiu used each loan wisely, scaling step by step while upholding integrity, transparent production, and faithful repayments. His product line now supports the health of children, women, and elders, with personalized recommendations for every customer. His perseverance is remarkable. Without outside capital or international experience, he built everything from the ground up, overcoming regulatory blocks on exports and navigating his son’s severe allergy to bees. Through each trial, his faith gave him courage to continue.
Sergiu is also an active leader in his church and local development organization. Locals affectionately call him “the doctor” for his natural remedies and caring guidance. Through his business, he supports his church, provides jobs for family and community members, mentors young entrepreneurs, and delivers food and health gifts to those in need. He teaches his children and employees that business is not just profit – it is service, purpose, and blessing.
Sergiu dreams of expanding into a community-centered apiculture hub, creating jobs, launching an online store, and establishing a training center for youth to learn about bees, health, and ethical business. He lives each day with faith-driven discipline: tending his hives before dawn, crafting remedies with care, and serving customers with integrity. For his family, community, and customers, Sergiu is far more than a beekeeper. He is an inspiring mentor and healer – embodying faithful stewardship, innovation, and compassion, and very deserving of the Lydia Award.
