Maria from the Philippines

Maria used to live in the rich woodlands that once surrounded Butuan, a city in the southern Philippines. Today she, her husband and their five children live in a rented hut in the city. Big timber companies came and felled the forests, bringing work and money to the people who lived there. But the logging firms were greedy and soon the wood supplies grew scarce, and the logging firms moved out. The forest has almost gone now, and thousands of Maria's neighbours have also moved to Butuan to find work.

During the 1980s the Philippine government, under President Marcos, got into deep debt. To honour these debts the country had harsh policies forced on it by international lenders, foreign governments, big commercial banks, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. These included the removal of subsidies on items such as food and cooking fuel, and even public transport.

For Maria, life is hard and getting harder. Her husband was a timber worker but is now unemployed and she is the sole provider for the family.