Most people who have heard of Manny Pacquiao know him for winning 12 major world titles. But what some people don’t know is that he came from a poor family.

As a child, Pacquiao experienced a level of poverty so extreme, it’s hard to comprehend.

He was born in the Philippines to a single mother. He was one of six children.

At 14 years of age, Pacquiao had to drop out of school and look for work just to feed his family. This was where Pacquiao first discovered boxing.

By the time he was 16, he was able to compete professionally.

Boxing is one of the most competitive sports in the world. But Pacquiao was determined to succeed for one simple reason: the wellbeing of his family depended on it.

And even when Pacquiao became successful, he never forgot this early motivation. In fact, he used it to become the top of his game time and time again.

But Pacquiao’s humble origins, even when he had success, fame and fortune, would always remain in his mind.

He knew that there were so many that were not as lucky as he had been. So he decided to do something about it.

In 2007, the boxer decided to embark upon another career path. He ran for political office, pledging to help the poor people of his country.

He won a seat as a congressman and stayed true to his word, using his power to help the unfortunate. He later won reelection, and once his next term was up, he decided to become a senator.

And the help that Pacquiao has offered the people of his country goes far beyond his political career.

He has also donated vast swathes of his wealth to the poor citizens of the Philippines. He had earned every single penny, but he knew that he had more money than any one individual needed. Therefore, he would regularly visit impoverished areas of his country and donate to needy people.

Pacquiao was able to maintain his boxing career throughout his political and charitable work. And in 2015, he faced his biggest fight yet.

Many people in the boxing community would call his fight with Floyd Mayweather the fight of the century. Pacquiao fought well but would eventually lose. Despite this, he still earned $150 million from the event. Pacquiao realized that other people needed this money more than he did.

Instead of spending the vast sum of money from this fight on his own mansion, sports cars or vacations, he instead put it into a major project for the people.

He learned that this money was enough to build 1,000 homes for the poor.

So Pacquiao approved the project. The 1,000 homes were given to the neediest families in the Philippines for free.

Pacquiao is now in his late 30s. It’s amazing to think that he has both helped so many people at such a young age and still has a long way to go. As he grows older, he will no longer be able to compete in a boxing ring, but he can still serve in political office and still lead many charitable projects.

Clearly, there are few people in this world who are as generous as Pacquiao.

When he was poor, he gave everything he had to his family. Now that he’s rich, he’s given vast amounts of his wealth to the poor people of his country. He truly is a role model for everyone to look up to.

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Source: USA Today