2013

In Sept. 2012 Sr. Gertrude, after consultation with Sr. Kanthini and Sr. Ranapriya, asked for our help with providing a desk and chair for each child, so that they could study properly and would not have to do so bending down while sitting on benches.

At that time there were 28 girls in St. Therese's and Sr. Gertrude wrote that she is so sorry to hear about the difficult situations these girls face due to the poverty in their families. She mentioned that they are happy to be at St. Therese's, because the nuns provide a nurturing environment, food and medicine with the little allowance they get, but that there are no funds to do more. Hence the plea for help from our fund with procuring the desks and chairs. This was supported by our trustees.

On Feb. 21, 2013 Sr. Gertrude wrote: "I am sending this message to you with lots of gratitude and in appreciation of your, the trustees, your friends and donors love and care shown to the children at St. Therese's Home."

Sr. Gertrude advised that each child now has a nice desk and chair and that they are extremely happy and thankful for our help. 

Sr. Gertrude also mentioned that 'every penny' was spent carefully to provide some facilities for the girls to do their studies well. In addition to the desks and chairs, all the beds of the children were repaired and planks were added as a frame for them to have a good sleep. The roof of the kitchen was repaired and painted. The water pump was also repaired. 

On behalf of Sisters Kanthini, Gertrude and Ranapriya, we would like to thank you for your generous support of our children's projects, which allowed us to improve the life of the girls at St. Therese's a bit.

2011

One of our special projects for 2011 was to help St. Therese's with the repair of the indoor washing and toilet facilities, built in 2006. Due to the climate, the floor and walls of the bathroom and toilets and the toilet doors were in bad condition. The necessary work, including tiling of the floors and painting of the walls, was completed in August and September 2011.

Following is a quote from Sister Gertrude's email after the work has been completed:

"This is to express our sincere thanks for the financial support with the repairs of the children's washing room. The children are so happy and more comfortable with the tiling of their washing room and fixing of the toilet doors. With the balance of your funds we were able to buy mosquito nets for the trainees and fix a gate at the side entrance of the childrens' home; an essential need for their protection."

2005 and 2006

St. Therese’s Convent, only 8 miles from the sea, was started as a school for girls from poor and underprivileged families in 1925. When all schools were taken over by the Sri Lanka Government in 1960, the Sisters of Holy Angels, a Sri Lankan Convent, turned St. Therese’s into a home for orphaned girls and girls from broken or extremely poor families, with the mission to provide shelter and education to these children.

Even prior to the tsunamis, St. Therese’s was in dire need of repair. The building housing the dormitory had a badly leaking roof and there were no functional indoor bathrooms. Despite this, the sisters took on as many girls as they could squeeze into the dry areas of the dormitory.

In May 2005 the nuns appealed for funds for roof repairs and to build a set of toilets and washing facilities for the girls adjacent to the dormitory building. Since the conditions of the existing dormitory building were so abysmal, I instantly decided to personally support this request.

The nuns also appealed for funds for an additional dormitory building so they could take in more victims of the tragedy; girls who had lost their father or mother, or whose families had lost their livelihood (small scale farming and fishing) and could not take care of them.

In Feb. 2006 St. Therese’s was home for 40 girls aged 10 – 19. The girls who attend the government school next door, are helped by the sisters with their studies and are also taught additional subjects, for ex. English, Music, Handicrafts, etc.

Girls, 14 years and older, who lack scholastic aptitude, receive vocational training. The nuns teach them sewing, housework, farming/gardening, etc., so they can earn their own living when they leave the home. For gifted girls, the nuns try to secure scholarships.

In January 2007 the new dormitory building, sponsored by Charming Shoppes, Inc., was officially opened and ‘blessed’. The differences observed during this visit and my prior visit a year earlier were amazing. The life for the girls at St. Therese’s had significantly improved, and the new dormitory allowed the sisters to expand their mission, providing a home, education and caring environment to another 20 needy girls. The gratitude expressed by the nuns and the girls was extraordinary; their smiles will remain engraved in my heart.

Unless something extraordinary happens, or old equipment breaks down, St.Therese’s will be able to fund its day to day needs on its own.

Last Updated on Thursday, 14 May 2020 14:25