Mother Teresa: a biography

COME AND SEES AND CO-WORKERS
Assisting the Missionaries of Charity and the Brothers were volunteers
whom Brother Andrew called Come and Sees. This group consisted
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mainly of young people interested in working with the Brothers for a few
weeks or months. Some were interested in joining the order, but wanted
to see if they were capable of handling the work. Mother Teresa had
adopted a similar practice with her own missions for young women who
might be interested in joining her order.
Also assisting Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity were
hundreds of volunteers, called Co-Workers. The term was borrowed from
Mahatma Ghandi, who referred to his helpers by the same name. Like
Ghandi, Mother Teresa’s Co-Workers were men, women, and children
from all over the world. They came from a variety of backgrounds and rep-
resented a number of different religions. All shared an interest in helping
the poor.
Among the first Co-Workers helping Mother Teresa were the Gomes
family, and the many doctors, nurses, and dentists who donated free med-
ical services. By the 1950s, a more formal organization of Co-Workers had
been established, largely through the efforts of British wives who were in-
volved with various social services in Calcutta. When a number of these
women returned to England, they began meeting, and by 1960, a Mother
Teresa committee was formed that began working with the poor in En-
glish cities. By the 1990s, approximately 30,000 Co-Workers were volun-
teering in the United Kingdom.
Smaller groups of Co-Workers appeared in other countries as well. In
the United States, there are approximately 10,000. In Europe, the num-
bers are much smaller, with only a few hundred active volunteers. Still,
the rise of one group has often led to the formation of another. Although
forbidden to engage in fund-raising or publicity, the group publishes 
Co-
Workers Newsletter,
which goes out to all members. There is no paid of-
fice or staff to put out the newsletter; all work is donated. Further,
Mother Teresa stipulated that all collection centers for clothing or food
are to be in someone’s residence; there is to be no rental of a unit or store-
front.
In some areas, Co-Workers handled donations of money which were
turned over to the Missionaries or were spent to buy bulk purchases of ne-
cessities such as food, clothing, and medical supplies. The size of some of
these donations are staggering even by today’s standards: for instance, in
1990, 17,000,000 Belgian francs ($680,000 in 2004 dollars) were used to
purchase powdered milk, while 200,000 Dutch guilders ($146,000 in 2004
dollars) bought protein biscuits. Both purchases were then sent to Mis-
sionaries of Charity houses in Africa, South and Central America, and
Asia. An additional 3,000,000 Belgian francs ($120,000 in 2004 dollars)
was spent to buy clothes bought at one-tenth of retail value and sent to
various countries in Africa. Finally, 24 large containers of used clothing,
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blankets, and bandages that were collected door-to-door by British Co-
Workers were sent to several countries in Asia.
But Mother Teresa emphasized to her volunteers not to wander away
from more humbling tasks, whether it was writing a letter, washing
clothes, or reading to the ill.
There is also a very special branch of the Co-Workers that was created
during the 1960s: the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers. These are indi-
viduals who are old, infirm, or handicapped; they cannot help with the
more strenuous activities of the other Co-Workers. This group offers
prayers for Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity’s efforts. Quite
often, these volunteers are linked with a member of the active Co-
Workers in their area. Currently there are about 5,000 Sick and Suffering
Co-Workers representing 57 countries.