My Mum and Her 200,000 Kids,
Khaleej Times, U.A.E.,
10 December 2002

Picture this. A street child, born in the slums, is verbally and physically abused by a gang of men and left very much alone and pregnant on the streets of Dublin. A child is born through that abuse and given up for adoption, while that street child fights the system to build a life for herself.

Years later, she settles down with a husband, only to discover that he is a wife beater and an unfaithful man. After suffering a miscarriage and forced to undertake shock treatment for a mental breakdown and depression, she gather together the shreds of her life and embarks on a mission to help street children retain their dignity and provide them with the opportunity to start afresh.

Now, what if this is a true story, not some far-fetched movie plot?

"It is hard to believe her survival story, especially since she has still retained her sense of humour and human spirit," says Helenita Noble, daughter of the protagonist Christina Noble.

A humanitarian extraordinaire and mother to thousand of street children in Vietnam and Mongolia, Christina Nobel is simply known as 'Mama Tina' to all who are part of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation. But behind that person is a loving and caring mother who raised three children through trying times and has moulded them to carry forward her legacy when the time comes.

"It was 14 years ago when she left for Vietnam, after a dream where naked Vietnamese children were running down a dirt road fleeing from a napalm bombing. They turned to her for protection and she knew then 2hat she was meant to do," recalls Helenita.

A singer and songwriter by profession, Helenita was not actively involved with the foundation till seven years ago, when her "ma'm" asked her to organise a musical programme to raise funds for her kinds in Vietnam. What was meant to be a six-month trip turned into a fork in the road, from where there as no looking back from.

"If I am honest with myself, I know I will never head back to my career," she laughs, "but I humour myself by keeping that small door open, just in case."

At present, Helenita is handling the fund-raising programme in Ireland, in between also travelling to other countries to raise more money and heading back to Vietnam frequently to help Christina out.

The foundation is Christina's life, but what many don't know is that her humanitarian roots go back to years ago, when Vietnam was still a dream in the distant future. Says Helenita: "During the union strikes in England in the 1970s, there was always a shortage of bread, sugar and the like. As we were in the catering business at that time, we had supplies in abundance and ma'm would distribute portions of it to needy families whenever she could."

With a mother who devoted a lot of time to outsiders, many children would have grown up feeling neglected and unloved, but Helenita is quick to assure that it was not the case with them. This is why the family rallies together in times of need – especially when the future of almost 200,000 children is at stake.

Over the years, the foundation has built several social and medical centres, schools, safe houses and more; even launched a revolving loan programme, which helps whole communities by loaning them money to pump into their economy Once they system is set up, the loan amount is paid back and utilised some place else. The entire process is strictly monitored, but Helenita does admit that there have been people who have slipped through the net and abused the money in some way.

"It saddens us when that happens but you have to remember that with every one bad thing there are 10 good things that happen and that keeps us going."

And those 10 good things come in terns of monetary grants and funding for the many projects the foundation is running.

"Everyone pulls their weight, but there have been a lot or roadblocks that have been crossed to reach this stage," shares Helenita. "Initially, Christina was looked upon as an outside who was interfering in other people's work. She took a lot, and instead of turning tail and running she decided to tell her story to the world in the form of an autobiography Bridge Across My Sorrows, which was followed by Mama Tina."

"It took me years to read the first book, and I have yet to complete it," she confides. "There were a lot of personal issues I had to deal with before I read it. When I finally mustered the courage, I was shocked that mam had deleted so much of it. When I asked her, she simply said "who would believe me if I gave the whole truth?'

"As a street child, there is nobody to protect you, be your voice. Prostitution and drug abuse is just the beginning of the vortex you can get sucked into. But my mother fought her way out and now she is helping others to do the same."

This is where the Dubai chapter of the foundation has helped tremendously. Started only three years ago, it has already raised Dh350,000, which has funded a girl's shelter in Vietnam and a classroom for young children – in memory of Karl Edwards, a young Dubai-based resident who was tragically killed during New York 2001.

"Aside from monetary support, people in Dubai have sent over BMX bikes, toys, clothes and lots more for these kids. We even had two teams representing the foundation during the Dubai Rugby 7s and a charity gala dinner at Al Bustan Rotana," states an enthusiastic Helenita.

"The foundation is our life," comes her passionate response. "When you think what one person can do, the changes that can touch thousands of people, then you know that you too have to play your part and spread the love."

Her parting words remind me of a poem I once read:

When I think of a child, I see rainbows, and snowballs, and the sunshine in their faces. Nothing I have seen in my life, had given me more joy that a child's smile.

If nothing else, Christina's foundation has certainly given the kids the gift of that precious smile.