First the Bad news. Sister Selvi writes regularly and graphically about the situation in the village. Apparently there have been a number of freak waves recently and the men are very frightened to go fishing. The rains have come and conditions in the camps are very bad. Dwellings are flooded, the electricity fails and the young women are frightened and have no privacy. Disease is spreading. So far there is no sign of the Government building new homes or providing the fishing boats they promised. There is much despair and anger.
The Good news is that Sister Selvi has opened and registered the St Adrian’s Reachout Centre. She is renting a small property in the village and today 15 June she is having an inauguration ceremony. From 2 June, 20 children are coming for day care. They have all lost mothers or fathers. Many more children want to come. but the building is too small. A cook provides them with good food and Selvi writes to say they love to sing and dance and are beginning to tell their stories about the Tsunami. In addition, six girls are attending English lessons at the Centre. The teachers are provided by Teachers Abroad. Money has been sent specifically to buy two sewing machines for the young women. So far, setting up the computer has proved to be difficult. Installing a phone line is notoriously complicated, but Selvi assures me that it will be in by the end of the month.
Selvi works tirelessly for her villagers and is so very grateful for all the generous donations that she has received for the project. Rachel Evans from Selling is visiting Muttom at the end of June to offer her massage skills to people in the camp. Fantastic.
It is clear that the St Adrian’s Reachout Centre has already outgrown its premises. So far the Bede Griffiths Charitable trust has been able to send almost £6000. We must ensure that the victims of the Tsunami are not forgotten and we need to raise another £10,000 to complete the Community Centre for Muttom. A very big thank you to Jenny and Peter in Selling who are generously donating their wedding presents to the fund. Have a wonderful day both of you! Please send your donations to the Bede Griffiths Charitable Trust, Beech Tree Cottage Selling ME13 9RH. Thank you so much
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