By Dee Hockey
A large group of us: Raj, Mamta, Anuradha, Dee, Varsha, Baljinder, Kamal, Shalini, Yatinder and Bharti, assembled at Kamal’s on a chilly Monday morning to visit the Mother Teresa home. We separated into different cars and set off thinking we were in convoy! However the leading car arrived at the Chief’s office last, having taken a different route! Having located each other we set off again into the depths of Huruma.
Arriving at the home we were escorted through a large crowd outside the gate by a “Security Guard” who moved the poor people away so we could drive in.
Once inside we were all amazed at how big it was. It is beautifully clean and in every small space there are well tended vegetables growing, there are also many Mango and Avocado trees in flower, very sensible to grow those when food is so short. There are also some bright flower beds, which all made a very sharp contrast to the squalid streets we had driven through to get there.
The home had a lovely atmosphere, and everyone we met was very calm and happy, especially the Sisters. We gave Reiki at each room we visited and continued this as we walked around the home.
We were taken in to the school which caters for the local slum children from outside the home. There are so many children wanting to attend this school that they have to have 2 sessions a day and children who were waiting for the afternoon session were so keen that they were already sitting inside the fence even though they were not due to start school for another hour or so! The children wishing to attend the school have had to pass an entrance test because there are so many applicants. In one of the classes they sang to us and in the youngest class they were fascinated by our LHSG badges and wanted to touch and examine them to check that we matched our photographs!!
We were taken to the disabled unit, where many of the young people are severely handicapped and some cannot do anything at all for themselves, they even have to be moved frequently to avoid pressure sores and require complete care. There was a group of drummers in the court yard playing for the children and they were clearly loving this activity, nodding their heads or clapping in time to the beat if they could.
Our visit to the mentally challenged woman’s unit was very moving. The women were very calm and unthreatening and were clearly well looked after with respect and love by the carers.
Visiting the baby unit was fun. These babies have been brought to the home having been found abandoned in the slum, in dust bins and rubbish heaps, or just dumped outside the gates. The little things were desperate to be picked up and played with as they craved human contact, but sadly the carers were very busy and were not able to play with them as much as they would have liked to, a fact that one of the Sisters was lamenting. Some of us enjoyed a little cuddle and it was very sad to have to replace the little bundles back into their cots!
Lotus Healing Seva Group visits Mother Teresa’s Home
By Kamal Tolia
The Lotus Healing Seva Group was privileged to be allowed to give Reiki blessings to the inmates of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s Home in Huruma.
On 3rd July, Members Raj, Mamta, Anuradha, Dee, Varsha, Baljinder, Kamal, Shalini, Yatinder and Bharti set out to the Home with the intention to heal. The Sisters were very welcoming and showed us the school they run for the slum children, the mentally challenged children’s and adult women’s wards, and the orphan babies ward.
Donations of detergent soap, bar soap, bathing soap, toothpaste, uji flour, ugali flour, babies pampers, sanitary towels all worth Sh 66900/=, and lots of used clothes, shoes, games, and other useful items were made. But more important than these material things, the Group gave Reiki healing blessings to all the inmates, interacted and sang songs with them and cuddled the babies to give them a much needed loving touch.
It was a very humbling experience, and we gave thanks to God for making us and our loved ones healthy and normal and for all the privileges we enjoy.
photo gallery:
Dear LHSG,
We were touched by the work you have done at Mother Teresa Home. The children look so happy with the attention being given. You have included them in your energy, given them an opportunity to be hugged and cuddled,recognition for who they are and included them in your love and affection.
If everyone in the world took time to do that once a day —the world would be a better place.
Thank you for showing us that we can each reach out.
shariffa keshavjee