Bede Griffiths Charitable Trusts - Muttom

The New Anbaham emerges

Carmel Cunningham, a supporter of SARC from Northern Ireland, visited Sr Selvi in April 2008 and records her impressions as the re-named Anbaham (Tamil for House of Love) was emerging amidst the dust and debris of the builders' work.

COVENTRY ROTARIANS VISIT MUTTOM

In December 2007, President of the Coventry North Rotary Club, David Robinson, together with his wife, Bernice and another Club member, Ashwin Kanabar, visted SARC, now renamed Anbaham, to see the project and to see how the grant from the Coventry North Rotary Club had been spent.

Here is their report on this memorable visit.

SUE COLLINGWOOD

In March this year I visited Muttom for the second time. It was so good to spend two weeks with Sister Selvi and the children at The St. Adrian's Reachout Centre. I saw many changes in the village since my last trip in April 2005. Selvi has already made a huge difference to the lives of the 30 children that she has been caring for. Their schoolteachers have commented on the all round improvement in their development and attitudes.

The greatest excitement during my stay was the start of the construction of the new Centre on a beautiful site overlooking the sea. We were able to take the children to see the JCB digging the foundations. They were so happy to see that they will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of having lots of space to run and play as well as the facilities which the new Centre will offer them.

It was not just the children that were so thrilled because two more exciting developments happened that will provide opportunities for young people and adults from the village. Hopefully a tailoring project can be started making Fair Trade clothes for sale in U.K. outlets. Selvi’s brother found 2 young women, who are qualified tailors and 2 trainees from the village. They were able to make sample garments and were very enthusiastic about the possibility of future employment. Secondly. Alistsair Munro, from Selling, contacted Selvi with the proposition of setting up a workshop at the Centre producing wooden crafts to bring more employment to the people of Muttom. This is so important as the Tsunami destroyed the fishing grounds, so the men do not have jobs and their families have no income.

CATHERINE LAWSON

Visiting India was a huge experience. As soon as I stepped out of the airport, the heat and humidity hit me. There were several hundred Indians clustered around the exit, many whole families waiting to see their relatives, but I managed to find Sister Selvi. Sister Selvi immediately made me feel very welcome, and we chatted continually on the 3 hour drive back to her village. Although the taxi driver was obviously skilled in driving, I did become a bit nervous when he started to overtake trucks and motor bikes round blind bends in the road, not looking in his mirrors, but just beeping his horn several times!!
As soon as we arrived at Muttom, Sister Selvi showed me around her house, which although basic was very welcoming.

The children were very excited to see me and all arrived very promptly on Saturday. I taught them the game of leap frogs which I had taken out with me along with around another 20 different indoor games that had been donated. The children were all very eager to play and kept swapping round so much I got really confused as to who was actually playing the game! They then ate and went home. The children spend Sunday with their families. From Monday to Thursday all the children arrive at 4 o’clock, have a snack of nuts or something sweet and then chat until 4.30pm. They then all go up onto the terrace on top of the house to do about 2 hours of study. I was amazed that even the children of 7 and 8years old were able to concentrate for this long, after a whole day at school. From 6.30 to 7pm, I taught them some English or a game. One evening I taught them Twister, which took them a little while to get to grips with, as they thought they all had to be in the same position as opposed to leaning across each other! Every evening, at 7pm, they all said a prayer and sung for 15 minutes before eating the meal prepared for them by Shanti, Sister Selvi’s cook and maid. After washing their plates, the children walked home in big groups, as it got dark around 6.45pm.

RACHEL EVANS

When I arrived in Muttom, I was met by Sister Selvi and her brother Nazarene. On reaching her small rented house, I was humbled by the fact that she had given up her bedroom for me and was sleeping on a camp bed in the main room used for eating, with Shanti, the servant.

Sister Selvi had left the convent she was in and her post as headmistress in the school nearby after the Tsunami, as she was inspired to help her people in Muttom, and has opened the St Adrian’s Reachout Centre in a small house. Everyday, straight after school, 25 badly affected children from a local camp go to the house, first to have a snack and chat, tben receive help with their studies, pray and have a nutritious supper that their parents cannot provide. Sister Selvi provides solace for them, somebody to talk to who can understand their personal problems. Each and everyone of them has different circumstances. Over the past month, Sister Selvi has instilled a sense a morality, manners and honesty in them that their parents do not. Their schoolwork has improved and they leave very reluctantly at 8pm, in high spirits. The children range from 6 to 16 years and the local girl that is paid to help supervise is 18 and also from a local camp. Saturday is enjoyed the most, as they get to spend all day at the house and tire out Sister until Monday when the week starts all over again.