‘A breadwinner is a winner’: A Filipina expat's 21-year journey from poverty to prosperity in the UAE

Dubai: Every month, countless expatriates across the UAE do the same thing before thinking about themselves, they send money home.

For many, being the family's breadwinner is more than a financial responsibility. It's the reason they leave parents, siblings, or children behind. It's why they take on unfamiliar jobs, work long hours, and keep going even when life abroad is far from easy. Chrissie Asuncion knows that feeling well. 

“I believe that a breadwinner is a winner. Supporting my family gave my work a deeper purpose and motivated me to keep moving forward despite every challenge,” Asuncion told Gulf News.

After 21 years in the UAE, Asuncion has insisted that the journey was never simply about making money.

“The UAE didn't just give me a career, it gave me the opportunity to build my dreams, create opportunities for others, and prove that with hard work, faith, and determination, anything is possible.”

Asuncion grew up on the streets of Makati in the Philippines where her parents have worked as street food vendors. Money was limited, but her parents have never compromised on education.

“They always reminded us that education is the only inheritance they can leave us,” recalled Asuncion.

Through years of hard work, her parents have built their family home and made sure all of their children completed their education. Her mother has also introduced her to financial discipline at an early age. 

Whenever Asuncion wanted something, she first has to save half its cost before her mother would help pay for the rest. Those simple lessons have left a lasting impression.

Even as a child, she has dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. Watching her parents cook and serve customers has inspired her to pursue a related degree.

Similar to many fresh graduates, Asuncion has believed earning a degree would open doors. Instead, one has closed.

After graduating, she has applied for a restaurant job back home but was rejected because she had no work experience.

“I remember asking myself how can fresh graduates gain experience if no one is willing to give them a chance?” shared Asuncion.

Rather than letting disappointment define her future, she has looked beyond the Philippines. In 2005, she has packed her bags and moved to Dubai, determined to create opportunities for herself.

Looking back, she now sees that rejection as the turning point that has changed her life.

Moving to a new country has meant starting over. Just like many newcomers, Asuncion took the opportunities that has come her way.

Her first job was as a part-time dental cleaner, earning Dh250 a week. Later, she has worked as a hotel waitress, earning Dh850 a month. The jobs weren't glamorous, but they have taught her resilience.

"Every challenge, rejection, and sacrifice became a stepping stone,” described Asuncion.

Rather than focusing on how little she earned, she has concentrated on learning. Every customer interaction, every responsibility, and every challenge has become part of the foundation she would later build on. 

Over the next 18 years, Asuncion has worked in the corporate sector, gaining experience in customer service, leadership, business operations, and people management. Those years have given her the confidence to pursue the dream she carried since childhood, to become an entrepreneur.

For Asuncion, the UAE has been more than a place to earn a living. It became the place where she has discovered what she was capable of.

“When I first arrived in Dubai in 2005, I was a young woman with big dreams but very little experience. The journey was filled with challenges, sacrifices, and uncertainty, but every obstacle made me stronger and more resilient,” exclaimed Asuncion.

Working along with people from different cultures has broadened her perspective and taught her adaptability. Professionally, she has acquired the skills that would later help her run her own businesses. Personally, she has realised the importance of perseverance, discipline, and embracing diversity.

“I am proud to have created opportunities for others and proved that no dream is too big when you are willing to work hard, stay resilient, and never give up.”

Asuncion has noted that she measures success by the lives she can positively influence.

“Giving back has always been one of my life's greatest purposes. Success becomes more meaningful when you use it to help others grow,” stated Asuncion.

She has frequently relayed her story with aspiring entrepreneurs, students, and young professionals, believing that talking openly about setbacks is just as important as celebrating achievements.

“I want to inspire people to believe that success is possible through hard work, discipline, and helping one another.”

Moreover, she has expressed hope to challenge what she described as “crab mentality” by encouraging people to celebrate one another's achievements instead of pulling each other down.

One accomplishment she has been especially proud of was pushing two fellow Filipinos running home-based businesses to take the leap into full-scale enterprises.

“Their success reminds me that when we believe in each other, share our knowledge, and support one another, we can achieve far more than we ever imagined.”

Asuncion added, “For me, giving back is not only about financial support, it is about inspiring hope, sharing knowledge, creating opportunities, and empowering others to believe that they, too, can achieve their dreams.”

Supporting her family gave Asuncion purpose, but over the years she has also understood that caring for others meant taking care of herself. While building her businesses, she has made time to invest in her own growth.

Travelling became one of the rewards of years of hard work and she has now visited more than 13 countries.

“I believe that taking care of yourself allows you to continue taking care of others,” explained Asuncion.

It's a lesson she has hoped other hardworking expats remember, especially those who often put themselves last.

Today, Asuncion's life looks very different from the one she has known while growing up in Makati. The daughter of street food vendors now owns successful businesses. However, her greatest achievement isn't what she has built, it's helping others believe they can build something too.

She has advised people not to compare their journeys with anyone else's and to celebrate the success of others rather than feel discouraged by it.

“Your current situation does not determine your future. Your attitude, perseverance, and willingness to keep learning will shape the life you create,” said Asuncion.

She has also left a message for anyone who feels stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about the future.

“If you remain faithful, disciplined, and determined, one day you'll look back and realise that every struggle was preparing you for the life you once dreamed of.”

For Asuncion, success didn't begin the day she became an entrepreneur. It started years earlier, when her parents taught her that education was life's greatest inheritance, when she accepted jobs others might have overlooked, and when she chose to keep moving forward despite rejection.

With more than two decades in the UAE, the title she wears most proudly isn't entrepreneur. It's breadwinner. Because, as she puts it, “a breadwinner is a winner.”

And for the millions of expats working hard in the hopes of changing their family's tomorrow, her journey offers a reminder that where you start in life does not have to determine where you finish.