Consumed by poverty, a desperate Brazilian mother drugged her three children, rolled them up in a mattress and was about to set them on fire to free them from the misery they lived in. But before she could light that lethal match, her brother walked into the room in time to stop her from committing the act that would probably have haunted her for life.

Her brother rushed her to hospital for psychological help and took care of his two-year-old nephew and two nieces, aged three and five. As he struggled to cope with the children, the Brazilian police suggested he sends them to the Mission of Mercy day centre.

"Their mother didn't know we could help her look after her children," explains Joseph Grima, the founder of the mission situated in Nossa Senhora de Fatima in Sabara.

Children are forced to grow up quickly in Brazil's shanty towns, the favelas, where theft is the order of the day and a survival tactic, he explains.

"Families live in homemade one-roomed shacks that are small and crowded. Because of lack of privacy, parents do what comes natural in front of their children who then copy them and become parents at a very young age... As the vicious circle goes on, children end up in prostitution or join street gangs and beg, steal and sell drugs simply to survive."

The Mission of Mercy tries to give these children a chance for a better future by offering support.

The day centre, run by the Maltese-founded mission, provides daily meals, basic medication and education for 196 children aged between six months and 14 years.

Children there are also exposed to the values of the Holy Bible. Since he was a child, Mr Grima always saw the Bible as a source of inspiration that helped him through his own difficult childhood.

The youngest of eight children, Mr Grima's parents could not cope with the load and sent him to St Patrick's boarding school in Sliema, of which he does not have happy memories.

During those years he found refuge in the words of the Bible, which is now the mission's logo. As a believer, throughout his adult life Mr Grima always wished to do something to help children and, when the opportunity came along, he set up the mission in Brazil 12 years ago.

The mission now boasts a high success rate: About 80 per cent of children manage to conclude their sixth form studies.

The mission wants to take its work a step further and set up an orphanage that will cater for another 50 children, on top of the 200 or so taken care of in the day centre. But works had to postponed because of lack of funds.

The mission is registered as a voluntary organisation in Malta and is also registered at state level in Brazil, which makes it eligible to funding from the Sabara local council. Within the next two years it should be on full federal registration in Brazil, which will give it a better status and better access to funds and the chance to expand beyond Sabara.

Mr Grima spends about seven months a year in Brazil and then comes to Malta to collect money and donations.

Throughout the past 12 years he has developed a special respect towards the poverty-stricken country. "Yes, like everywhere else in the world, there is corruption, there is violence, injustice and a class system. And, yes, there is even corruption in the police force... But it upsets me when people only see that side of Brazil. It's a country with very beautiful people and there were times when the police went beyond their duties to help out."

He insists that the people are victims of their harsh circumstances and deserve all the help they can get.

Just recently, poverty levels spiralled upwards when the Brazilian government's already difficult task was exacerbated by torrential rains that flooded crops, drowned animals and made hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

Anyone who wishes to help the Mission of Mercy can call on 2141 9182 or donate money through HSBC account number 0390 6656 8050 or Bank of Valletta account number 1075 5078 018 or write to: Living Faith, 20 Ġwann Mamo Street, Iklin BZN 11.

www.missionmaltabrazil.org