Agnes Boaxis left her home in Yugoslavia in 1927, to join the Loreto Order of nuns in Ireland. She served her novitiate in Darjeeling and then was sent to Calcutta in the early 1930s, where she led a typical secluded convent life in colonial surroundings, before leaving the order to devote herself to the poor of that city. She has since become known throughout the world as Mother Teresa, and the Missionaries of Charity, her network of sisters, now operates in almost 50 countries. Mother Teresa's own work was recognized by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.