12th March

Hi

Life is just busy and I'm finding it hard to find time to get to the computer. This weekend I have been to the Leprosy Mission at Bankura with the Festival of Hope, worshipping and praying with them there. I will do more on that tomorrow with some Pictures. Also went to the Muslim slums where many children at the Interfaith Child Study centre come from and was entertained by them as well.

Yesterday morning I went to Mother Theresa's Charities home here in Durgapur. There is a TB ward there and people stay to be treated so that they do not spread the disease. Also food supplements are given to the very poor to help them feed family with nutritious food. But I was taken in to the baby unit.

There was about 20 cots in the room we went into but at present not all full. Some had gone home having been fed up, coming in badly malnourished.

Some of the children are orphans, all adoptions when they are ready are done through KolKata centre. The little boy in red and white stripes was very wary when we first went in. But after he was lifted out of the cot and put down his confidence grew and he started to play peek a boo with me and smile. If one of the others went to close he came back close to me and eventually he held my hand. We were asked not to pick them up, we could talk to them and play with them, but they cry too much if picked up and then left. It was a very peaceful room.

This little lad that was playing with me had as a twin sister, the hand which you can see on the left. They are orphans.

This is little Raja - he was quite a character and loved having attention. He was signing he wanted food when others had been lifted out and started to be fed.

So this was the start of feeding time, grandmother in the bright green as she is known, was on cooking duty. She grew up there abandoned by her family - who were quite wealthy as she has a speech defect and cannot speak, only make noises, but understand and got her message across to us. Her family now have now said she can go back but she doesn't want to, she stays and help with the little ones here.
Thisis the little girl I was given to feed.

They eat a lot, three times a day. She was very quiet sitting on my knee and just ate and ate and ate. But the children here at the centre eat four times as much rice as I do!!
I wondered where all the children were vanishing to after lunch and then I discovered -

it's potty time! as they call it. Each painted plank has sets of holes in, the children are sat there in the bathroom. The little lad I was playing with is sitting there asleep. So trained after meal to sit there. As you can see from the pictures they do not have terry or disposable nappies - just cotton squares tied on.

There are seven sisters there altogether, many of whom worked with Mother Theresa. There is always two on washing duty.

This is the sister in charge of the baby section and this was the only photo she would allow of herself. The young woman with her was an orphan and grew up here so to her it is home. She is married and that is here husband with her and she has two of her own children. She comes back frequently to help. There are lots of volunteers who come to help and to play with the babies. They have them play on the floor and they do rhymes and clapping games with them.

This is the senior sister in charge. The little baby on the floor was brought in by the father, his mother was killed by a train, he was saved but he needed care which he couldn't get in the village. He was helped but it wasn't enough so for the time being he is here until he grows a bit and can go back home with his father.

Just hearing some of the stories was heart breaking, but the love and peace there is incredible. It was
humbling to be able to be part of it and sister has asked me to go back whenever I like while I am here.

I'll give you some more info later but lunch time now.