Dear Rachel, Geraldine, Dennis and Louise,

A very, very big thank you for hosting such a fantastic and memorable Summer Ball and raising nearly £9000 for the Children’s Centre in Muttom.

Sister Selvi, the Project Director, is over the moon about your love and concern for them all and thanks you from the bottom of her heart. Speaking with her on the phone, she says the new building will be ready to move into at the end of August. Right now, 25 children are staying with her in a very small rented house. There is much suffering. The rains are particularly heavy this year and many people are suffering with fever and sickness and there are many deaths. One small child at the Centre came crying to tell Selvi that her grandmother had died. The family had no money for the funeral. Medical services are few and far between, expensive and of very poor quality. And of course many people suffer from malnutrition, and have little resistance to infections.

There is much financial hardship. There are plenty of boats for fishing, but the Tsunami scoured the contours of the seabed and the fish have lost their traditional spawning grounds. There are few fish to catch. Few people in Muttom have any skills except as fishermen. One can only imagine the suffering they are experiencing.

So thank you to everyone who supported the Muttom Summer Ball. What a wonderful life we have here in Selling!!!!

With love from Sr Selvi, all the children and Jill Hemmings