Workers at a poverty-stricken orphanage in one of Mexico’s most crime-ridden cities, Tijuana, were stunned by a top secret visit from Jennifer Aniston. Located on the edge of a shanty town where gangs and gunfire are a part of life, the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage is now so dangerous it rarely gets visitors.

Mercy dash
But when New Idea visited just last week, we learnt that Jen, 40, arrived at the orphanage late last year without any warning. Carmen Gonzalez, who runs the orphanage with her husband Jorge and son Sammy, tells New Idea: ‘We did not know she was coming. She came here with her [female] friend and two men, who I guess were her security.’

Carmen also reveals Jen’s ex-husband Brad Pitt has been involved with the orphanage too, pouring in money to have a new floor installed three years ago. Jen has herself donated money to update vast sectors of the building.

Motherly instinct
The directors at the orphanage say Jen, who’s said to be dating former flame John Mayer again, made a beeline for the baby nursery shortly after arriving. They say she spent more than an hour cooing, cuddling and singing songs to the children.

‘She got on with all the children, but she spent most of her time with the babies,’ Carmen explains. ‘She loved them. She spent a long time in the nursery, playing with them and cuddling them. ‘She was very warm and was just really enjoying seeing them smile and laugh with her.’

Details of the visit have been revealed as rumours continue to swirl that Jen is on the verge of becoming a mum and adopting a baby from Mexico.

The star has never hidden the fact that she yearns to start a family, saying recently: ‘I feel [motherhood is] in my future, and I’m on the verge of it in some way. I want to have children. That’s my plan.’

 
In a sign that she may be preparing for a new arrival, Jen says she’s taking time off work at the end of her latest movie. 'I’m going to go on an adventure, take myself somewhere,’ she said recently. 'I want to take time off.’

Meanwhile, sources reveal that she’s been househunting in Mexico, with a view to spending a few months there – something that would help her immensely to get through the adoption process. Laws in Mexico encourage prospective parents to spend up to four months in the country so they can bond with the child and learn about the local culture.

A friend of Jen’s says: ‘She wants to buy a home in Cabo San Lucas and spend a few months there. Jen’s deeply fascinated by Mexican culture and the beautiful landscape in Baja California.’

A better life
Casa Hogar Sion orphanage director Carmen, 58, says the kids were delighted by Jen’s surprise visit, but that she didn’t know if the trip was a prelude to adoption. ‘I wouldn’t know if she was planning to adopt as people do not deal with us directly when they want to adopt our children. By law they have to go through the government,’ Carmen says.

‘When a child is adopted, the government simply comes here and takes them. We don’t even know where they’re going. 'The only time we find out is if the adoptive parents make the effort to contact us.

‘But, of course, it would be wonderful if someone like Jen adopted one of our children and gave them a better life. We are always worried about their future here given everything that they have been through.’

Carmen’s son Sammy, 28, reveals how the star has donated huge amounts of money to them in the past two years. 'She’s very supportive. She takes a lot of interest in what we’re doing here. Whenever we need anything, she makes sure we get it. I don’t know exactly how much she has donated to us, but it must be a lot,’ he says. ‘It’s amazing what she has done for these children.’

Brad’s involvement
While it’s not known how the glamorous celebrity became involved in the orphanage,  what is known is that Brad also assisted the orphanage a year before Jen came onboard.

Carmen tells how Brad surprised them three years ago by buying them a new floor. 'Someone told him how bad our floor was here and how it was making the children suffer,’ she says. ‘Without another word he arranged for all the materials to fix it to be brought here and he paid someone to do all the work.’

She says despite the squalid and dangerous surroundings, Jen seemed at home the  minute she arrived. 'Most of the children here didn’t know she was famous and I think she enjoyed that,’ Carmen says. ‘Some of the older girls recognised her and started giggling when they saw her, but most of them had no idea. She and her friend cooked spaghetti for the children, which they really enjoyed.

‘It was nice because sometimes when Americans come here they make fancy food, which the kids don’t like. But the spaghetti was just right for them. 'They arrived in their own car and stayed a few hours. She got on very well with the children and was very sad when she left. You could tell how much she cared about them all.

‘She said it’s the one place where she can be herself and have any kind of peace of mind.’ Another worker says: ‘Jen is like an angel sent by God. Her love is unconditional. She’ll make a wonderful mother one day.’