Thiruvananthapuram: “They are your children,” Sister Reema continued. “They will come back for you,” she told the aggressive resident.

It’s this grit and persistence wrapped in compassion that drives the Divyasanthi Rehabilitation Centre for the mentally ill at Vettucaud.

The man Sister Reema addressed, has enough reason to be concerned and angry. His relatives have shown no interest in him after admitting him to the centre.

He is one among the 50 men hosted in the centre, run by four Latin Catholic nuns, sisters Zitha, Felicita and Aagi, besides Reema.

The nuns have their hands full, bathing and feeding the men. The sisters are armed with their faith in the Lord and the eternal love for fellow beings. Two other women help them in maintaining the centre.

The centre has now sent one of its residents to the hospital after his condition aggravated.

“He became so violent and started attacking us physically. We tried to convince him but his illness became worse and we had to call the police to take him to the hospital,” Sister Reema said.

The youngest resident of the centre is aged 20, while an 85-year-old man is the senior most. Donations from well-wishers support the centre, opened two-and-a-half years ago. “Sometimes someone will sponsor food for the inmates.

On other days, we use the meagre donations to ensure that the supply of food and medicines are not hit,” Sister Reema said, hinting at the financial crunch.

(SOurce: The Times of India)