WHO Close to Home Outreach Program – Asociation de Damas Filipinas

Asociation de Demas Filipinas provides education, health care, feeding and social services to orphaned and/or abandoned children.

Every year, our company aims to give something back to the community through various local civic and charitable programs.  Last December, I had the opportunity to be part of our outreach activity for the year’s chosen organization, Asociation de Demas Filipinas.

The kids of ADFI while waiting for the program to start

Backpacks that were among the pool gifts prepared for the kids

With the mga punong-abala before the program. Hi Madam and Charrisse!

The afternoon program opened with a prayer followed by the children’s song and dance performances.

From what I observed, the orphanage is one of the top choices of companies and personalities for their outreach programs hence the praktisadong production number. The kids danced and sang like pros!

There were also games that were facilitated by the Jollibee crews and William Hill volunteers where toys were given as prizes. Jollibee was also there, both a hit to the kids and kids-at-heart 🙂

A child’s simple joy, playing with rubber bands. I remember playing with one when I was a kid making a ‘star’ and ‘bahay ni batman’ 😛

And of course, if there are kids there should be Jollibee! The kids enjoyed their meal of chicken, spaghetti, burger and juice.

To be honest, when I was asked if I wanted to join the outreach program in the orphanage, I initially wanted to decline. I felt it’s too much effort to smile and socialize with them kids when what I really wanted to do was just finish my pending emails, rush back home to my own kids and call it a day. 

I caught myself after realizing how selfish that sounded and eventually said yes. And seeing how genuinely happy the kids were, I’m glad that I came.

It is a truly humbling experience to see how these ‘less fortunate’ kids find such joy and contentment on the simplest of things especially when it’s very easy for most of us ‘more fortunate’ ones to feel short changed even if we have already have the ‘best’. 

I did rush home to my family after the program. I do have a hungry infant to feed after all. But I also now have a gallery full of photos and stories that I wanted to share with my 2 older kids.

With children nowadays growing up with the wrong sense of self entitlement with just about everything, I can only hope that sharing what I’ve seen and experienced that afternoon to Keka and Seven will somehow make them appreciative and thankful of whatever they’ll have in life.

Encouraging words to never stop dreaming.

Association De Damas De Filipinas

1451 President Quirino Avenue , Paco, Manila, Philippines

(02) 563-2309/ 0923-5979962

http://adfinc.co.vu/