Claire is 21 years old and lives in Qormi. When she was 19 she joined the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), a career move which helped her become more self-confident and independent. Last October her sister asked Claire to join her on missionary service in Brazil. Claire reluctantly refused as she was not sure whether she could take leave. However it seemed that she was destined to go when one member of the group dropped out. She applied for and was granted leave and started preparing to go in his stead.

Then the hard work to raise funds began. From December till the end of June they began organising activities such as car boot sales, lotteries and dinners to raise money. At Easter time, they sold 1,700 figolli outside various churches in Malta. They collected around Lm7,500 – the largest amount of money collected by any group so far.

Craft sessions were also organised to make all sorts of toys for the children in Brazil. The final part of their training took place in a live-in. A psychologist helped prepare them to cope with unusual eventualties that could arise. Part of the training also consisted of techniques to help them survive as a group as differences between friends can easily occur in such circumstances.

Portuguese is Brazil’s official language, making it the only South American country which is not Spanish speaking. Brazilians speak Portuguese and other dialects, depending on the area they come from. For this reason, Claire and the rest of the group met every week for Portuguese private lessons at the Augustinian convent in Tarxien.

The Augustinians send a group of mission workers every year to Brazil to help ease the plight of the children and the poor families in their parishes. The group is made up of seven people and their spiritual director.

Claire and her group left in the beginning of July and returned at the end of August, almost six weeks later. The group stayed at different convents owned by Maltese Augustinian priests.

They spent the first two days going around Sao Paolo in order to get a feel of the place, which helped them understand how badly their help was needed.

The first fortnight they stayed in a village called Rolandia and helped out at the day centres. The day centres were similar to small schools for abandoned children and children coming from families with problems such as prostitution, drug addiction and physical and sexual abuse.

Claire was shocked at how filthy the place was. Almost all the children had lice in their hair and in an attempt to control it, Claire and the others shaved off the children’s hair. Clothes had to be washed by hand due to the lack of appliances and electricity – in fact most of the sinks had an inbuilt scrubbing board.

The children were left to their own devices. No-one bothered about them and the only care they received was at the day centres. Each person had taken a suitcase full of children’s clothes that were distributed as soon as they arrived. The children were delighted with them and came to show off how well their new clothes fit. At one point Claire was giving out shoes to the children when a little girl refused to accept a pair. Claire asked why she didn’t want them, and the girl explained that she wanted only one shoe so that other children would not go without.

The children welcomed them with open arms, showering Claire and the group with attention and helping them out with the language. As soon as they realised that the Maltese couldn’t understand Portuguese all that well, they began to speak slowly so that they would be understood.

After Rolandia, the group moved and stayed for a couple of days at a convent close to Jaguapita. Close by was another house for abandoned children aged between five and 13. Although the children were not living on the streets, conditions in the house were not much better. The two people in charge just smoked all day and gave orders, making the children clean the house from top to bottom. When the children are naughty they are locked up in a tiny room for days on end without any food. The children are undernourished and, due to the lack of calcium and dental hygiene, their teeth decay very quickly.

Claire narrated how one woman was so poor that she began feeding her new-born child on dog’s milk as she couldn’t afford to buy milk. In an attempt to escape reality, children become addicted to glue-sniffing from an early age and stealing becomes a way of life. Claire recalls that when they took the children to the centre of Jaguapita they began stealing all they could lay their hands on. When they were asked to stop, the children laughed at them as though it was unheard of to go somewhere without stealing. In the end, Claire and the others paid for the items even though it was extremely embarrassing.

The next stop was at a home for Aids sufferers outside Sao Paolo. Although the villa looked very beautiful on the outside, it was falling to pieces on the inside. There were 36 people living in the house, all of whom had Aids except for one who was a hypochondriac. Claire was saddened to see how these people had given up on life – they were just lying in the sun waiting to die. But they welcomed the Maltese group with open arms.

At first Claire was hesitant to have any physical contact with them, but she realised that nothing could help them more than a hug or a cuddle. They seemed to be fascinated by the sight of a healthy human being, and would stare or hold hands with them for hours.

Claire pointed out that Brazil is made up of two extremes: the extremely rich and the poor. While the centre of the city is modern and sophisticated, the slums are in the suburbs. There is no running water, no drainage system and sewage flows outside in the streets. There is no schooling for the children, many of whom are abandoned and as a result many turn to drugs and prostitution at a very early age. People lie by the sides of the roads, waiting to die. Kidnapping is considered a normal activity, and to venture out into the streets after dark is risking your life.

Life is cheap in Brazil. They have nothing to live for, nothing to look forward to. Many people die fighting to protect their small piece of property in the slums. Others are electrocuted while trying to steal electricity from lamp-posts to connect it to the slums. Men and women start drinking early in the morning to numb their hunger pangs and sleep the rest of the day.

There were times when Claire felt desperate. It was not easy working under such conditions. There was no privacy except in the bathroom, and there were times when the lack of personal space made it difficult to work with the rest of the group. It was here that prayer came in. Every week they used to meet and speak about their feelings of hope and desperation. Claire became very close to her sister and found support and hope in the rest of the group, particularly their spiritual director Father Mario Abela. Prayer became very important in her life.

The large majority of Brazilians are fervent Catholics and go to Mass everyday. However their Mass is different from the one we are used to. Whereas in Malta Mass is a solemn affair, Mass in Brazil is a community affair. The people are involved in the ceremony, and take part in it with songs and dancing. In fact it is one of the things she misses most – she felt part of the community.

Claire said she found God in those children. She struggled to explain what she meant but words failed her. Stripped of all distractions and helping people who were really in need brought Claire closer to God. She felt that they gave her more than she could ever give them, even though they had nothing material.

Her background in the AFM helped her out as she was more organised and self-sufficient which made it easier for her to adapt to the different culture. Claire never told anyone in Brazil that she was a soldier as they fear any people in authority. In fact it was not unusual for people to gang up and beat up soldiers in vicious attacks, so Claire told them she was a photographer. She brought back over 3,000 photos with her, many of which were taken covertly from underneath her jacket.

This experience in Brazil has changed her whole life. From the moment she came back she realised how many things are taken for granted, and how people are never content with what they have but always want more. In fact, for the first few days after her return she felt guilty that she had a comfortable home and a loving family, while they had nothing of the sort. Even her everyday habits changed: she does not leave the water running when brushing her teeth, and does not use more than is necessary.

Claire still worries about the children back in Brazil – about their bleak future and what will become of them. When I asked her whether she would go again, she immediately replied that she couldn’t wait. She has encouraged people to take the initiative and go on missionary work instead of finding excuses not to do it.

For more information call Father Mario Tanti at the Augustinian Convent in Tarxien on 21828017.