International pop star Justin Bieber traveled to the Philippines on Tuesday to comfort victims of the Typhoon Haiyan.
According to the Associated Press, Bieber flew from Australia to Tacloban, one of the hardest hit areas from the storm. While in Tacloban, Bieber visited multiple local schools meeting with young children and distributing “shirts, toys and basketballs to children.”
At one elementary school Bieber also performed for the Children, singing a mixture of his own hits and Christmas songs in the heavily Catholic country. At a second school Bieber played basketball with some of the boys who were rendered homeless by the Typhoon last month, which killed around 6,000 people.
Photos of the visit were posted all over social media sites like Twitter.
Justin Bieber in Tacloban, Philipinas. #pray4phillipines pic.twitter.com/jtQ3D07waf
— Thank u Justin (@BbelieberLatina) December 10, 2013
Many social media users also claimed that Bieber had decided not to publicize the trip beforehand because he wanted to “bless” and not “impress.”
not a belieber but can we all thank justin bieber for going to tacloban to help the haiyan victims pic.twitter.com/qW8MzdRrFg
— laurence (@malikangarooo) December 10, 2013
The visit comes after Bieber launched an international aid campaign to raise money for victims of the Typhoon. People who donate money to the campaign will be entered into a contest for a chance to hang with Beiber in the studio early next year. A second prize winner will receive tickets to the premiere of the Believe movie in Los Angeles. So far the site says Bieber has reached about 65 percent of his US$1 million goal.
On Sunday Bieber wrapped up his believe tour in Perth, Australia. Earlier in the year the tour had a number of stops in Asia including in Singapore, China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand.