Our Story

Philippine Health Initiative was founded by Nayla Jimenez at the age of 12. 

Inspired by her mother's adamant efforts to collect unused & secondhand items for the Philippines, Nayla encountered the Filipino-American concept of Balikbayan (“going home” in Filipino) at a young age. Instead of dropping off her clothes at the nearest Salvation Army, her family kept large Balikbayan boxes in our garage. They shipped these heavy boxes annually to Cebu, Philippines – her parents’ hometown. This process is common among millions of Filipino-American homes across the nation.

The Bailkbayan concept is the foundation of the Philippine Health Initiative.

We began our donation efforts in middle school through grassroots efforts and have continued ever since. As our personal interests in medicine, empathy, and equity grew, PHI began to embody Balikbayan:  gathering donations, returning home, sharing pasalubong ("gifts" in Filipino), and strengthening transnational connections.

Philippine Health Initiative's founder and team continue their work of uniting multiple Balikbayan efforts into one organization to bridge pediatric health inequity in the Philippines today.