Even as an OFW working in Singapore, it could have been my first time to celebrate my valentine’s day outside the Philippines, but since I always have this yearly valentine advocacy that I’ve being doing for the past 7 years I was so happy that I was able to make a short schedule 7 day trip vacation from February 13 to 19, 2008 back in the Philippines.

You may be wondering why I called it ‘Visit to Nazareth’, well because the Orphanage’s name that I always visit every Valentine’s day is ‘Nazareth Home for the Street Children’ located in Bustos , Bulacan, and seems like ‘Visit to Nazareth’  for me, would sounds like something biblical.

Well it started out when I was an active member of a local chapter of the well-known civic organization called, Junior Chamber, or more popularly known as Jaycees, it’s a group of young men and women doing some service projects and leadership training activities. We had this service project that we extend to orphanage and usually we give our Free Medical and Dental services to the children, either we do some Circumcision (or ‘Tuli’), or Dental assistance (mostly are tooth extractions) through the help of some of active members who are also Dentist and Doctors and with some invited friends. It just so happened that we found this Nazareth Home of the Street Children Orphanage located within our community.

But time came that I have not been an active member of Jaycees anymore, and since this orphanage already transferred on another site and location, very far from the city proper of Malolos, I decided to still continue this advocacy as more of a personal thing.

What I usually do is buy stuffs that the orphan children basically needed, usually toiletries (as per feedback from the caretaker nuns and social workers) eg. toothpase,bath soaps, powder, tissues, shampoos etc. etc. . After  some years of doing this, I sometimes would tell about it to some closest friends and relatives.

But to my surprise, some of them, after hearing my stories about it, would simply insist on that they too want to volunteer and be one of the donor. I was very happy that, what started only as a personal advocacy, grew up as a group of friends, from old office colleagues, barkadas and close relatives, and yearly adding up more with the same intent and spirit of helping out those needy children.

But why Valentine’s Day?

I personally notice that during Christmas season, lots of lots of people,civic organizations, government offices, church group,individuals etc. etc. are giving donations and bringing with them either free breakfast, lunch, “mirienda” or dinner almost on a daily schedule basis, mostly line-up in the whole calendar month of December. There is this one instances that we have a scheduled Orphanage activity of one ordinary day in December, but as the we gave the children their “mirienda”, I notice,most of them would not like to eat anymore, specially the spaghetti that we prepared for them. The caretaker said to me that the children are almost eating spaghetti everyday starting the 1st day of December. So then I logically decided to visit them on some lame months, but I need to have a special occasion and reason. And that is when I got an idea that since Valentine’s Day and the month February is a celebration of love and giving, that I said to myself, that I will do this advocacy on this special occasions, thus, calling it ‘ Visit to Nazareth’ on Valentine’s Day.

Though I also have some other adovacy other than this one, I still plan to continue this as long as I can, and this is also one way that I can share and give back the blessings that I am receiving in my life.I pray to God that he give me more opportunity in life so that I can further give more and help the needy.

For those of you, who also wanted to extend some help or donation, you can send it directly to their address written below and the contact person and caretaker of the said orphanage.

Nazareth Home for Street Children

9012 Claro Santos St. Brgy. Bonga Menor, Bustos, Bulacan

Sr. Mary Cyril R. Serencio, SDS

Executive Directress

Cell No. +63 0917-803-5723 / +63 (44) 619-1370