Rabiya Mateo on her student life: "I did not have much"
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Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo recalls her hardships during elementary school as she donates back to students.
“When I was in elementary, I did not have much,” began Miss Universe 2020 Rabiya Mateo on Instagram.
The reigning beauty queen looked back on her financial challenges as a student while taking the opportunity to give back as she bears the Ambassador for Education of the Miss Universe Organization.
In the said Instagram post, Rabiya recalled how she enjoyed studying despite the many obstacles she faced when it comes to pursuing education.
She said, “I remember, I only had PhP 5 as my baon back then. I only had two notebooks for my eight subjects. I used the same shoes from Grade 4 to 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.
“Despite these limitations, however, I was happy studying and doing my school work. I made a promise to myself that when I reach that point of success, I will give back.”
Now that she has the platform, Rabiya said she is putting that into good use by sharing her success story and inspiring others to lend a helping hand to those in need.
“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,” she continued.
“As your Ambassador for Education, my goal is to go to different schools all over the country and offer any help we can give.”
Recently, Rabiya visited a school near Cebu City where she donated 150 pairs of slippers and school supplies to students with the help of various donors.
In the same post, she said, “These kids have big dreams for themselves and their families. You can see the drive to succeed in their eyes.
“Thank you wot all the generous donors for making this possible.”
Aside from being the titleholder and the Ambassador for Education, Rabiya is also part of the ethics committee of the Infant and Pediatric Nutrition Association of the Philippines (IPNAP). This non-government organization aims to address malnutrition in the country.
Last January 26, Rabiya visited the folks in Oas, Albay, to embark on a 2-day outreach with the IPNAP and the Inner Wheel Club (IWC) of Makati to help the impoverished children.
She said, “Malnutrition is an important issue that we need to address. Why? First, most of the population affected are children coming from low-income families. Second, lack of nourishment would lead to stunted growth, making them too small for their age. Lastly, malnutrition does affect the learning capability of a child leading to poor performance in school.
“Our goal is to conquer malnutrition with the help of government agencies and other organizations and the cooperation of communities we work with… We hope that with the efforts of the parents, public and private sectors, no Filipino child will suffer from malnutrition in the future.”
Get to know more about Rabiya Mateo in this gallery:
