Monday, August 16, 2004

Missionaries Of Charity-The Mother Teresa Home For The Destitute And Dying


Patience and volunteers at Missionaries Of Charity Hospital

The next morning 4 volunteers (3 girls and a boy) and I left to start our work at the Missionaries Of Charity (MTC) home for the destitute and dying which was founded by Mother Teresa. The conditions and the patients were in a much better state then I had expected. If I felt a little better, I would really have enjoyed it. There are around 150-200 women and the same amount of men in the hospital. All the female workers help with the women wile the male volunteer is with the men. The first day was spent washing cloths and helping to wring them out. They wash their cloths in giant concrete bats full of water and it is all done by hand. Many of the patients do not have bladder or bowl control so it is a very intense job. Most of the women have something like downs syndrome or brain injuries from illness or car accidents. A few of the patients are old or seriously ill with tuberculosis or cancer. Other have amputated limbs, hearing or sight problems, or simply have nowhere else to go.