Charity Visit: Friendship Home
On October 19, 2024, a group of my classmates, with me included, headed by Dollen Gabutan initiated an orphanage event called “Joyful Hearts” at 4:00 in the afternoon. The orphanage in which the event was held was the Friendship Homes Orphanage of the Diocese of Dumaguete Inc. in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
My initial expectations towards the event were that the children would have been all happy and excited for the gifts we all bought for them. Those expectations were broken when I saw that they were extremely wary of us strangers who suddenly visited their home. It was understandable, however. While the children were all wary of us at first, they soon warmed up to us. Some children kept their distance, and one eventually wouldn’t stop crying, so one of the staff eventually had to calm her down away from everyone. The rest of the children were incredibly sweet, and it made me sad to think that they had no families to call their own yet. One of the nuns that ran the orphanage supervised the children while we interacted with them, and I could tell that she loved them very dearly. She was an incredibly affectionate yet stern person, and you could tell from a glance.
This event truly opened my eyes to the harsh reality that some children truly do not get their happy endings with their families. The children at the orphanage were proof of that. One pair of siblings there lost both of their parents to a tragic accident, and some of the children were even abandoned and neglected. Having the orphanage to call home may be one of the greatest blessings to befall them. I want to help these children and the orphanage more in the future, and so if my resources are available, I will make donations to the orphanage as a sign of my support for them. Events like this charity visit not only help ease the burden of the orphanage, but it also helps the children socialize with people. Who knows, one particular visitor might just become their new parent. Should I be given the opportunity to be able to do an event like this again, I’d like to bring more gifts for the children and for the staff next time.
Because of this activity, I am more appreciative of the Friendship Home Orphanage for taking in these children and caring for them, even if it is only temporary. More support should be given to orphanages such as these, and people can only do that if they take the first step of donating towards them.