Mother Teresa was born about ninety years ago in a small town in a country called Yugoslavia. When she was eighteen, she became a nun and went to work as a teacher in the city of Calcutta in India.

One day, when she was on a train, Mother Teresa believed God was speaking to her. He said that He wanted her to help the poorest of the poor. So, she gave up her job as a teacher and went to live with the poorest people in Calcutta. Soon, other nuns came to live and work with Teresa.

Today, these nuns are called the Missionaries of Charity. They dress in cheap white saris with blue edges and a cross on the shoulder. They help people who need food, medicine and somewhere to live. They believe that by helping these people, they are being kind to Jesus as well.

People from all over the world came to visit Mother Teresa. Books were written about her and she was given an important prize for helping other people. She would not agree to having a special dinner when she went to collect her prize. Instead, the money for the dinner was used to feed poor children in Calcutta.

When Mother Teresa died in 1997, all she owned was a bucket and two saris.