Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo took to Instagram last Monday, February 1, and recalled the financial troubles she had to face back when she was a young student after donating school supplies to children in need.
Mateo looked back at the time she only had five pesos as her daily allowance in elementary school, had only two notebooks, and used the same shoes from grades 4 to 6.
“When I was in elementary, I did not have much. I remember, I only had 5 pesos as my baon back then. I only had 2 notebooks for my 8 subjects. I used the same shoes from grade 4-6. I had no laptop, no internet access, and there were moments I even needed to go to my classmate’s house to borrow crayons and materials (thank you, @graciellalalooove),” she wrote.
However, this did not hinder the beauty queen from finding happiness in studying and doing school work. That is why back then, she promised to give back once she became a successful adult.
“I made a promise to myself that when I reach that point of success, I would give back. I want to share my story to those children who are experiencing the same hardships. I want to inspire and motivate them to achieve greater things in their lives,” Mateo said.
And, indeed, she fulfilled her promise. Now a Miss Universe Philippines titleholder and an Ambassador of Education as named by the organization, Mateo started giving back recently, donating slippers and school supplies at a school in Badian Island, Cebu with help from different donors.
“Zaragosa Integrated School is located Badian Island, 2-3 hours away from Cebu City,” she narrated. “Many students need to walk 45 mins to an hour just to get there. These kids have big dreams for themselves and their families. You can see the drive to succeed in their eyes.”
She concluded her post by thanking the donors for the help they have given for her to give back, while happily announcing that 150 children were given the proper supplies for school.
“Thank you to all the generous donors for making this possible. We were able to deliver 150 pairs of slippers and educational materials to these deserving children.” she said.
Mateo, apart from her two titles under Miss Universe Philippines, is also a member of the ethics committee of the Infant and Pediatric Association of the Philippines, a non-government organization, and a licensed physical therapist and lecturer.
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