Caba, PH – REM earns scholarship – 30 Apr 2014

Rhoniel Eledave Mangaoang is the eldest child of Ronald and Elizabeth Mangaoang. He comes from a family of hard-working and industrious parents but of very meager means. He has a younger sister named Kimberly. They lived in Manila for a few years, with the father working at a department store and the mother at a garment shop. Their income barely covered the bills, and with two children to support, the city life had put further strain on their financial resources. To send their children to school would mean they would have to come up with additional money to pay for their daily transport, school lunch, books, school supplies and so forth. So the family packed their bags and moved to the province. They settled in the municipality of Caba. Moving there certainly shrunk their bills, but they were met with another challenge. Decent paying jobs were scarce. Ronald had to find something to provide for his family, so he started out as a fisherman. Today, he is now employed as a laborer by Waves of Love’s partner, Quest. Rhoniel’s mom Elizabeth divides her time washing clothes by hand and performing housekeeping work for a living. Their jobs are very labor intensive, but they feel it is worth the sacrifice so their children can one day live better lives.

The bright spot in their lives are certainly their children, what’s more having a brilliant son who has much captivated his teachers’ attention. The school’s principal recommended Rhoniel to receive scholarship from Waves of Love back in 2010. Waves did not hesitate to sponsor Rhoniel’s education, and yearly it has renewed its financial aid. Rhoniel continues to be the top in his class, earning him the first honor year after year, deemed to be the best of the best. The Philippines has a grading reward system that honors the students with the highest grade point average, with first, second and third honors, and the rest who meet a certain GPA percentage as honorable mentions. Teachers describe Rhoniel as an avid reader who likes to explore new subject matters and has a razor-sharp memory. He excels in Math, and he especially enjoys solving logic equations. Rhoniel is now in 5th grade and dreams of becoming an engineer. He is always chosen to represent the school in math, english and science competition. His peers have nothing but admiration for Rhoniel. They describe him as a born leader, always eager to lend a helping hand, and above all an enthusiastic team player.

Lately, Rhoniel’s family has been doing better financially. They have signed up for the Happy Shine Garden Shop (a partner of Waves of Love) Faith Gardening program. Through Happy Shine Garden’s mentoring and free start-up gardening materials, the Mangoang family is now able to maintain an organic garden that not only provides for their consumption but also earn them an additional income. With this income, they can now send Rhoniel’s younger sister to school as well. To their parents’ delight, it turns out the family is blessed with not one but two smart children. Following in her brother’s footsteps, Kimberly is also an honor student.

Waves of Love looks for promising students to sponsor like Rhoniel. Thanks to Waves and its supporter Better Lives in the US, Rhoniel has a huge chance of making his dream a reality. Rhoniel has a solid foundation to succeed, with hard working parents as role models, encouraging teachers and a supportive charity who back him. The future looks bright for the Mangoangs, as they look ahead to seeing the first and second college graduates in the family.