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Christmas is approaching and in Virlanie, we must make sure that our beneficiaries will always have the best Christmas every year. The year 2020 is indeed a challenging year. The pandemic has brought a lot of changes and has defined a new normal. Every year, our Mobile Unit, Street Team brings Christmas to the streets. They organize a yearly Christmas party in Tondo, Manila. However, due to the pandemic, how they were able to bring the Christmas spirit to the street community when parties and celebrations are prohibited?
This year, the Virlanie Mobile Unit team decided to conduct a Christmas contest for its street beneficiaries with a theme of, ”Paskong kakaiba: Hatid ay Pag-asa sa Panahon ng Pandemya” (Translation: A Different Christmas: Bringing Hope in this time of Pandemic). The street team may not hold a Christmas party just like what they used to do every year, but they still made sure to keep their beneficiaries busy yet happy in these trying times.
“This contest will challenge their creativity and promotes bonding within their family,” said Marie Michel, the street program manager as she takes pride on the outputs of their beneficiaries.
On a different perspective, Rose Anne Millar, RSW, Virlanie’s street program social worker, also shared her positive sentiments about the activity. “The activity is also a great way for them to release all the stress the pandemic has brought to them. This is one of the best ways to remind them that they still must feel and sense Christmas during a pandemic,” she said.
The activity offers more activities for the street beneficiaries to enjoy and the Mobile Unit team has created various categories such as a song and dance number, poster making contest, best shot of a family collage, poem writing, and many more.
A Virlanie Christmas: Happiness, Family and Hope
This year’s A Virlanie Christmas campaign is focused on giving happiness, valuing our families, and bringing hope to those who need it the most. As the pandemic continues to penetrate our world, we still have to make sure that Christmas will still be felt especially to those who we know are being left behind. Just like what our Mobile Unit street team does, Virlanie aims to give families a great Christmas every year.
To learn more about this campaign, you can always visit our campaign page to know more about how you can help the children and youth in our care, and in our street communities. We also encourage everyone to take a pledge for a child this Christmas and become their ninong/ninang this Christmas (Translation: godfather/godmother).