Bede Griffiths Charitable Trusts - Muttom

The New Centre

Stop Press. Just 9 months after the purchase of an acre of land overlooking the sea in Muttom, the fishing village in South India devastated by the Tsunami, the new building for the St Adrian’s Reachout Children’s Centre is almost finished! Fantastic. Sister Selvi and 25 children have moved in. She says there is so much joy and excitement. Father Arul celebrated mass and a big party was held. The children’s parents and many villagers came to join the celebrations. Sue Collingwood’s son, Andrew from Chigwell was with them all. What a miracle!

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.