HI everyone we are back in Salem, and have just found an internet cafe about 30 mins walk away so  making use of it now. But trying to upload photos and its not working so we appologise.

Even though its sad leaving all the friends we're met through FSL its fantastic being with the kids again.

By the way its kate's birthday tomorrow the big 19, apparantly according to Sister Leo they celebrate birthday's over here by having a big non-veg feast, (as having meat is a rarity) so tomorrow we are both going to be forced fed meat, Sister Leo's exact words "You try meat and see what happpens". So any case its going to be a birthday to remember!

About 2 days ago a father brought a tiny baby to the Sisters, the mother had abandoned it. It is 10 months old but is tiny looks more like 2 months. It has the classic starvation signs, bloated stomach and stick legs and arms and a moon shape face. It also has a racking cough its terrible to see, the father has been trying to look after it. A family came to see if they wanted to adopt it but were put off because it was so wretched looking, so they have gone off to deliberate. Mean while one of the workers is looking after it and even in the 2 days its been here its perked up a bit and there is a bit more light behind its eyes. So hopefully it will be adopted and live happily ever after.

Another interesting story is that one of the families who live on site and have 2 boys, they work in the alottments for the nuns. Before they came to the centre to father took a loan from a man, and couldn't pay him back, he could only just cover the interest. So eventually the man who gave him the money asked for his eldest son to be placed in Bonded Labour. Where the son works for the man like a slave for nothing for years to pay off his fathers debt. The son was working in a hostel, while he was discovered by a priest who paid off the debt and the family moved to Anbul Illam where the nuns pay the father, mother and elder son (who must only be 15) a salary, while they also try to educate the 2 sons enough so they can join a school. One of the boys who was working with the son has receantly died, which give a kind of idea of the working conditions they were working in. Its terrible to think that stuff like this still happens in the 21st Century.

Not really much else to report on other than the fact that on the 15th the children break up for their summer holidays, and with the Creche broken up, and the prisoners children who have families gone back to their families for a holiday there is not much else for us to do. We are going to ask the Sisters is there is anything we can do to help them in their duties, for example Sister Joyce works in a prison.

Trying now to upload photos.

Peace and love to you all!