Volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata

Kolkata, India; where 70,000 people sleep on the street every night.  A city of rickshaws, Hindu temples, and the best meal you have ever tasted in your life for 75 cents.  I live on Sudderstreet, a small road in the heart of the city where the few tourists (really only hardcore backpackers and volunteers) who come through Kolkata stay.  The city air probably contains more smog and humidity than oxygen and the temperature never deviates far from 100.  Walking down any random street you will encounter more people than you can look at, be pushed out of the way, shouted and honked at, pass an open sewer that smells like an open sewer right after a food stand that appears to your nose to be cooking pieces of Heaven, you will see beggars and merchants and piles of garbage and maybe even a cow, all within 5 minutes. 

I pay 200 Rupees a night for my hotel ($3.30) and average around another 200 Rupees for all other living expenses including food, internet, transportation, and the occasional cup of chai.  I work 6 days a week for the Missionaries of Charity and use my spare time to learn Bengali, play my banjo, and hang out with other volunteers.  I meet new and interesting people every day from almost every country (though the US is conspicuously underrepresented) ranging from a German doctor bicycling around the world to a Korean from a farming village on his first two week trip abroad. 

The first couple weeks my volunteer work was in Prem Dan, a long term care facility for the handicapped, sick, and dying street people who have nobody to care for them.  I helped with daily chores like laundry and dishes, assisted people in using the toilet or changing clothes, and fed or wheeled around those who needed it.  When the work was slow I sat and talked to the patients who knew English and listened to their stories.  It is rewarding work and I loved every minute of it, beautiful because it is made possible only by volunteers who are there not for pay but for the people they are serving. 

After a couple weeks I was “drafted” into a different ministry technically independent of the Missionaries of Charity.  Unfortunately I am not at liberty to share any details of that work but I can say that as a big part of it we are responsible for finding the people that the Missionaries of Charity admits into their facilities such as Prem Dan.  It is the front of the front lines so to speak.  Josh and I will be trained to take over this whole ministry in about one more month’s time.  It is an incredible and unexpected opportunity and challenging in the best way possible. 

The Missionaries of Charity is an amazing organization.  I remember having read a few blogs that were critical of the Sister’s facilities and care so I would like to say that I have found those criticisms to be totally unfounded.  Mother Teresa’s practice of treating every poor or hurting person as if they were Jesus has truly carried on throughout the Missionaries of Charity and it is apparent as soon as you walk through the gate.  While it is definitely no luxury resort, even by Kolkata standards, there is no comparison to homelessness on the streets.  Each person is treated with respect and cared for lovingly. 

Overall I would have to say that I love Kolkata and the work that I do with the Missionaries of Charity, as opposite as it is from life in the States or Spain.  Though it is a place of extreme poverty and widespread hopelessness, there is a unique beauty in the daily life, relationships, and even run-down streets that is hard to explain and that cannot be found anywhere else. However, it does take some getting used to.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for just a week or two, unless you have a lot of experience overseas already.  If you have any questions about the MC or are thinking about volunteering feel free to email me Brantliveson@gmail.com.  God bless!