On 19th May, we went to the centre of the Missionaries of Charity in Kochi, in the Kerala state. Outside, a statue of Mother Teresa showed us the entrance. This famous nun founded this Catholic order in 1950, in Calcutta, in order to help the ‘poorest of the poor’ (the dying, the handicapped, the sick, orphans, etc.). Since then, the order has expanded and now counts 4,500 nuns spread over more than 600 missions across 133 countries.

We were welcomed by the Mother Superior of the centre, Sister Rosyline, to whom we volunteered our help for two weeks. Why not? Volunteers are always welcome at the Missionaries of Charity. She answered our questions briefly: this centre is an orphanage for mentally handicapped children and we could take part in the housework, the meals service and play with the children. But when she saw our backpacks and our tired looks, she advised us to get a room in town and to get some rest in order to come back fresh the following day. We were to learn during those two weeks that before helping one’s neighbour, one should help oneself in order to be in the best possible shape.
                 The centre of the Missionaries of Charity in Kochi

The following morning, we went back to the centre for our first day of volunteering. As soon as we arrived, Sister Rosyline welcomed us and invited us to follow her. With a broom and a scraper in our hands, our services were called upon for the big daily cleaning of the dormitories. The buckets of soapy water were poured out between the beds. Then, we went to do the laundry: the 35 children’s clothes are changed many times a day, which means a lot of dirty laundry. There was no washing machine, everything was hand washed following a precise schedule: after the soaping, each piece of laundry went successively into three big washtubs. We were stationed for rinsing, we had to follow the rhythm! Once washed, the laundry was brought upstairs in big baskets in order to be hung out on the big terrace. Once the housework done, we were invited to take our morning break with tea and fortifying biscuits.

Then came the first contact with the children. It was the first time we were confronted with such ‘different’ people. The children were mentally handicapped, most of them profoundly. And lots of them also had physical handicaps that did not allow them to walk. We were not really at ease facing this reality that is usually far from us. What could we bring them? We had to put aside the games we had thought about and find out how to establish contact with these children. It was time for lunch already. Most of them cannot eat on their own and have to be spoonfed. Some of them, who cannot remain seated on their own, are fed lying down. It was hard…were we going to be able to help?

We hung on and came back the following days. Bit by bit, our perception of these children changed, we left our normality references behind and entered their universe. We understood the character of each of them, which made them laugh. We explored new ways to communicate: with sounds, gestures, and touching. The children also got used to us. The most mischievous claimed all our attention as soon as they saw us: Kala asked for cuddles and Rincy, the gossip girl, always had something to show us.
                 Rincy and Gabrielle

In the end, we did not see their handicaps. We saw the life these children carry in them, the young (e.g. Sopna, 9) as much as the old (e.g. Maria, 32). Beyond their physical suffering and the drama of their abandonment, they catch every little moment of happiness that comes their way.

Francois used to shake Alok’s bed every time he passed in front of it. This little asthmatic boy, for whom breathing is suffering, had bursts of laughter when he felt his little world shaking. There was also Sopna, the little music lover. She could spend hours listening to the noise made by an object against the ground. But what she really loved was the ‘plane’, when we took her in our arms and made her spin.
                    Alok, Cherry, Krupa and Anila

Then there was Subash, the star of dormitory B, who communicated only with singing and laughter. He listened very attentively when we whistled ‘Singing in the Rain’ to him (it was a day of monsoon), then started singing again.
                                Subash

The atmosphere that reigned there was cheerful and serene. It is the fruit of the work accomplished everyday by the seven sisters and the twelve laywomen of the centre who love ‘their’ children and take care of them.
                 The laywomen


Despite our lack of experience, the sisters and the laywomen integrated us and soon trusted us to take care of the children. Neither of us would have imagined one day helping handicapped children have physiotherapy. Gabrielle learned from the physiotherapist how to touch the children’s limbs and joints to make them supple (fingers, hands, feet, etc.). The children appreciate these sessions of ‘home gym’. We improvised a little classroom with the most studious of them. Within a few lessons, Anita learned how to write her and her best friend’s name in the Latin alphabet.
                 François, Anita…and Sikoti’s legs

The days went by and it was already the end of the planned two weeks. The goodbyes with the laywomen were warm (more sober with the sisters, because they are more reserved). We did not have the feeling we had only arrived recently. Then it was time to say goodbye to the children. Anita, when she learned we were leaving, asked us to come back. Amongst the others, who realised we were taking them in our arms for the last time? Some of them would probably realise the next day. For us anyway, we realised immediately…we were going to miss them.

How to help

The Missionaries of Charity need financing to pursue their action in the world. All the donations can be sent to the headquarters of the organisation in Kolkata (Calcutta). Donations of clothes are also welcome, even though the cost of transport from overseas can be more expensive than buying clothes on the spot.

Volunteer help is also welcome. The centres of the Missionaries of Charity are generally organized in order to welcome volunteers for long or short periods of time. The organization has centres all across India (Ahmadabad, Mysore, Chennai, etc.) where it is possible to volunteer on the spot. It is better to offer help somewhere other than Calcutta where the volunteers are already numerous. The best way is to go there and ask a representative of the Catholic Church for the address of the closest ‘Mother Teresa’ centre.

Contacts

Centre in Kochi
Missionaries of Charity
Eraveli Road
Kochi – Kerala

Headquarters in Kolkata
Mother House
Missionaries of Charity
78 A.J.C. Bose Road
Kolkata 7000014
West Bengal
India
Telephone :
•    +91 217 22 77
•    +91 33 224 97 115

Gabrielle and François
(Traduction: Yolene Dabreteau)