Meet Ronaldo. Coming from a large family, he started working at a young age and was not able to finish high school. Ronaldo was only 19 when he went to the big city of Manila, where he would end up working for 6 years. This was the beginning of his career, so he worked wherever he could find a job- from being a radiator technician, to working on dentures, and even becoming an embalmer! Ronaldo did all of his jobs to the best of his ability, but was not passionate about any of them and was not being paid well. He also had a near death experience when his car almost got hit by a train in Manila, leaving him shaken. He saw this as a miracle and vowed to use his “new life” well.
He desperately missed his family, so decided to move home and hoped he could find work in his small village. The big city had lost some of its appeal from when he was younger and Ronaldo wanted something steady. He found a job at Dignity and has now been there for many years. He does his best to support his children and send them to school, even when it’s difficult.
Ronaldo is thankful for Dignity and to be able to work so close to home. Many people want to stay close to home to be near family instead of moving to the city and be separated. Ronaldo shares, “When I worked here at Dignity, it's because those who really have nothing, those who really can't go to Manila anymore, they just stay here. If it weren't for Dignity, the people's hardship wouldn't be alleviated. That's what I'm thankful for.”
