Written by: Mariah JC
“You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them, you should only look to make sure that they have enough.” Educator Roldan Pagaduan may have unintentionally imparted this invaluable lesson on fairness and sharing to his students when he gifted new quality school bags to over 50 disadvantaged children through a bag drive on August 13, 2022, teaching through example that no one is too young to give, and people of all abilities can change lives. This line from a sitcom might be an unlikely source of wisdom, just as Roldan’s altruism started from a heart-tugging story that happened by chance.
At 25, the natural-born giver from Tarlac who puts a premium on the role of education in uplifting one’s life, currently works as a course content developer in an e-learning company. It was in 2019 when he worked as a substitute teacher at Taguiporo-Cabaruan Elementary School that the students who normally learn from his lectures taught him something that changed his perspective forever and urged him to do something.
Roldan met a student who used a bag that was a freebie from a milk brand to carry his items to school. It was so small that the student could only carry his pencil and pad paper. Because of this, the student had to borrow the books of his classmates which made the little kids a bit irritable. Roldan gave his second hand bag to the student and other children in need heard about the teacher’s generosity. As he learned that a lot of school children are in need of bags but they don’t have access to these things due to indigence, he reached out to BEAGIVER founder Josh Mahinay. This is where his journey of sharing his blessings to the less fortunate learners started. Roldan happily continues his cause especially now that Filipino students are returning to in-person classes after a long hiatus due to the pandemic.
“Kung nawawalan na kayo ng pag-asa sa pag-abot ng inyong mga pangarap. Lagi niyong tatandaan na ang nagbigay ng bags sa inyo ay naniniwala sa inyo. Naniniwala sila na kaya ninyong abutin ang inyong mga pangarap (Whenever you’re losing hope in attaining your goals, always remember that the people who gave you the bags trust you that you can achieve your dreams),” Roldan said in one of his speeches during the recent bag drive in the same school where he first witnessed the poverty of many Filipino students.
Roldan is a testimony that there is no barrier big enough to stop you from making a difference. You too can bring hope and help students reach their dreams by partnering with BEAGIVER, a social enterprise focused on spreading a culture of generosity by providing school bags to children in need. Let’s make a bigger difference this year as more students will be needing their school bags this back-to-school season. Visit beagiver.com.ph now to know how to help.
Here's some of the highlights of Roldan's bag drive last August 13 produced by BEAGIVER:
