Visit to Catia de la Mar "Casa Misioneras de la Caridad"- Children with Brain Paralysis and the Mother Theresa nuns

One of those breathtaking moments I mentioned in an earlier entry happened a month or so ago. I went with the local Rotaract group, Rotaract Avila (in formation), to a center for kids with special needs, mostly ones with brain paralysis. The center is run by a group of 8 nuns of the Mother Theresa Order. These women are incredible... they left me breathless with their dedication, smiles and knowledge. This was one of the best facilities of this type I have seen (including in the US)- clean, wonderfully decorated to stimulate the children, which they need because of their condition, and a loving environment. One of the nuns took us through the baby-toddler wing and later through the older children's wing and introduced us to each child, explained their condition and "translated" their movements. One little girl moved her hand in a way that showed she was happy, another smiled... the nuns know every last expression that these children make. Because of the severity of their health problems, most will never be able to leave the center and go into a normal family home.

There were a few stories that stuck with me after the visit was over and still haunt me. They told us how one little boy was normal until he was five months old, at which point someone threw him up in the air, as we all do with little babies (they love it!). Unfortunately, he hit his head on the ceiling and from that point on was permanently disabled from the head trauma. Another child, a little girl, was found tied up with wires behind a dumpster. The nuns who discovered her had to shoo away the rats that were beginning to eat away at her skin. They told us how the laws and regulations have changed and now they are forbidden from going into the streets and picking up the children who need their help. Now, as in many other places, they have to battle the red tape to be able to continue with their work. It makes me wonder what will happen to the kids like the little girl who was tied up behind the dumpster. Who will care for them? Even while telling these stories, they never stopped smiling, even though it turned into a "we just have to keep pushing forward" smile.

I left the center that day with mixed feelings. First, I was amazed by the work being done for these children that almost no one wanted. Then I was feeling hopeful because the nuns had told us that a couple of the children's parents had come to the center to take their children home (in one case, the mother dropped the child off, and the father came back for the child). It still doesn't take away all the sadness that I felt knowing that these children would never have lives of their own, but I am grateful to these nuns and other workers who are giving them the best lives that they can possibly have.

If anyone is interested in donating to this center, please contact me.