Adrian and I have been in Muttom for one week. We are so very happy to be here with Sister Selvi and 29 children in the fabulous new St Adrian’ Reachout Centre, set in one acre of land with stunning views of the sea, palm trees and fishing boats. The building is cool and spacious and the children are so happy to be in such a special place. They run and play in the open spaces as though they can’t believe their good fortune.
I can’t really describe this wondrous experience. When we first arrived I cried with joy and amazement that the SARC building is ready just 21 months after the Tsunami hit Muttom and one year after we bought the land. Michael, the builder, has done such a superb job and we feel so very grateful to him And Sister Selvi has brought everything together with such skill, hard work and dedication. Nothing would happen without her energy and commitment a very big thank you to her!!
Each day is full of activity. We wake to the sounds of the children outside our window, twittering like starlings from 5:30 onwards as they take their bath at the outside washrooms, the girls so skilfully plaiting their hair and tying their ribbons in the early morning light. Each little one is supervised by a big girl. Then hot milk all round followed by yoga and meditation. Such stillness from seven to fifteen year olds strikes me as miraculous. Breakfast of rice and dal rapidly disappears, then its time to find the huge school bags they all carry; even the tiny ones weighed down by all their books and slates. They don’t have desks at school. How could they? There are up to sixty children in a class!!! How they learn anything beats me!
Hurry up, the bus leaves the end of the road at 8.0, always somebody has lost their chapels (flip flops) or a small boy’s shirt needs tucking in. Selvi is very fussy about neatness and hygiene! A quick prayer before the off, goodbye Jill, good bye Adrian. Salva, the wonderful cook/cleaner/mother’s helper, runs down to the bus with them all.
After our breakfast we are “officially” free till the childre get home at 5. But each day we have made visits to Nagercoil, 30 minutes away: to see the auditor twice, the Rotarians, the Inland Revenue, shopping for bed sheets, pillows, mattresses for the influx of visitors and check the price of a new fridge. £190 would be OK. Selvi’s is much too small for this many children. We usually get home to find more mothers on the doorstep waiting to beg Selvi to take their children. On Sunday after Mass, five parents came including an elderly father with six girls. He says he is too old to work, how can he feed his family? Everyone has a heartbreaking story of hardship, poverty, large families and girls with few or no prospects. We sit with Selvi on the doorstep and try to discern who we can take and who we can’t. How to say no to such desperation. Yet the girl’s sleeping room is already full, 22 girls are here. They all sleep quite happily like sardines on the floor on rush mats with a small bed sheet as a pillow. But we clearly need to build a bigger Hall!!!
Sounds of laughter along our little road announce their return from school by bus at 5 o’clock. Some days, though, they miss it and it's 6 before they are home. We realise now just how important it is to purchase a vehicle and are so grateful to the Coventry and Nagercoil Rotarians for offering to buy one. The children change their clothes immediately. Only one set of school uniforms has to be taken good care of. Then a snack and out to play till 6:00. Homework time till 7.30 supervised by Selvi. We try to hear them read their English, but Tamil and science is beyond us. All the children have tests this week so there is an added sense of urgency.
At 7.30 they gather in a circle on the porch for prayers, lighting a candle and surrounding it with flowers. This is such a special time. Selvi encourages them all to offer their own prayers. Even the tiniest child will offer a prayer, eyes tightly shut, hands together, legs neatly crossed. One evening we were busy and they arranged it all for themselves!! The new children seem to adjust very quickly to Selvi’s love and the sense of worship and devotion. In no time at all even the most difficult little boys are joining in and sitting quietly. They will finish with a song and then time to share and talk till supper at 8. Wash hands. Rice with chicken tonight, vegetables last night, egg on Monday. So many are very malnourished. Are we giving them a balanced diet? How much can we afford to spend on each child per day?
Bed at 9 for the littles. Some have been yawning for quite a while! They roll out their mats. Grab their bedsheets, lie down fully clothed and are asleep in a twinkling. More study till 10 for the big girls then to bed. Girls in one room, boys in another. Selvaraj, the gardener and his wife Salva sleep in with them till we can build them their own room.
What a special place this is. Sister Selvi is truly a remarkable woman. She has worked so hard to bring this Centre to fruition and it hasn’t always been easy. Family problems have given her much sadness and anxiety this week and there has been jealousy and aggravation from certain villagers. The children’s parents have often been grasping and critical. But now that she has moved outside the village to James Nagar, new parents are coming with different attitudes. Much gratitude, appreciation and lots of joy and love.
How blessed we are to be here.
Love,
Jill and Adrian
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