As Filipinos celebrate the Feast of the Santo Niño, the Community of Sant'Egidio commemorates the visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines one year ago, primarily during his visit last January to Tacloban devasted by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

After the Holy Liturgy of the Feast of the Santo Niño at the reconstructed parish church of St. Augustine in Matlang, the community friends of Sant’Egidio from Manila and Cebu visit the adopted community affected during the Haiyan calamity and has continue to collaborate, and strengthen its friendship to the people in the area.

Bringing school supplies collected from the various friends of the community and from universities in Manila all the way to friends from Hong Kong, we have distributed numerous school office supplies for the teachers and school staffs, pens, papers, books and other school items were given to 175 students from kindergarten to primary grades of the School of Peace and Hope, a school reconstructed after the typhoon, a commitment of Sant'Egidio to the victims of Haiyan.

The staffs and teachers of Matlang thanked the Community for its closeness and continuous faithfulness to the people in Tacloban most especially to the children in Matlang, a zest to continue to grow the school and friendship that was created. The Christmas in the Philippines ends during the Feast of the Santo Niño, thus another #mercychristmas for the community.