Stories From Around The World
Our work around the world is incredibly varied. These stories will give you just a flavour of the work that we do.
Baresh: A Cure Today
Nobody knew why Baresh kept injuring his hands at work in the cement factory. The doctors would treat the cuts and the ulcers, but nobody tried to find out why they were happening. Until it was too late and he couldn’t work any more. His hands had become badly clawed.
A friend suggested that a skin specialist in the city might be able to help him. As soon as he arrived at the hospital they recognised his condition as leprosy and he was referred on to a specialist hospital run by The Leprosy Mission.
He is now cured of his leprosy. Multidrug therapy (MDT) is freely available to whoever needs it and can completely cure someone of their leprosy in as little as 6 months.
Unfortunately disabilities like Baresh’s are left even after the leprosy is cured.
Baresh recently returned to the hospital (9 hours journey from his home) to have surgery on his right hand to correct the clawing. Hopefully he will now be able to find work again. He will return again in the future to have the same operation on his other hand.
“I came here with a broken heart. But now I have been healed. Whenever I can I want to tell people about the Leprosy Mission hospital and the great things they have done for me and can do for others.”
Baresh’s injuries could have been avoided if his local doctor had recognised his leprosy and treated it. He has now been cured and the treatment he has received means that he can start to rebuild his life.
Nearly every minute a new case is diagnosed.
TLM’s hospitals and clinics are in the front line of the fight against leprosy. We want to detect and treat as many people as early as possible so that they can avoid the problems that Baresh has had to face.
Santosh: A Hope For Tomorrow
Santosh was diagnosed with leprosy when he was just a little boy. Like Baresh he was treated with MDT and he too needed surgery to correct deformities that he had in both hands.
As a former leprosy sufferer in a small village he had received no education and his future looked bleak. The only job he was ever likely to have was as a labourer on somebody’s farm. Low paid, back breaking work.
But Santosh was referred to one of the Vocational Training Centres (VTC) run by The Leprosy Mission. Here he received an education, something that had been denied to him for so long.
He spent two years studying to become a motor mechanic, specialising in 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles: mopeds, motorbikes, and small vans and taxis.
“At the VTC I got an education that would not have been possible in my village”
He now makes a good living working in the garage that he opened with one of his classmates. They had both learned basic business skills at the VTC and TLM even helped them out by providing a basic toolset and other equipment to help them get started.
“Everything at the VTC was excellent. It has completely turned my life around. I hope to see my little business grow and to be able to support myself and my family for a long time to come.”
Even after they are cured, many leprosy sufferers are still denied access to education, training and jobs. The training provided at TLM’s VTCs helps young people affected by leprosy to achieve their full potential and become productive members of their communities.
Rani: A Community With A Future
In the slums of Kolkata, about 10 million people live in houses made of plywood, corrugated iron and cardboard, each no bigger than the average UK bedroom.
But the people who live there are among the most welcoming, respectful and ingenious you are ever likely to meet.
It is in places like this that leprosy thrives and it is here that The Leprosy Mission are working more and more in the community and with the community. Some communities become their own leprosy control workers, identifying early cases of leprosy and sending people to the nearest clinic or hospital for treatment.
Other communities have other priorities. Rani’s community have set up a self help group supported by TLM staff. The group meets once a month to discuss how they can best work together for the good of the community. As well as leprosy sufferers the group includes those with disabilities or who are marginalised in some other way.
Through TLM’s support of the group, Rani has been provided with a sewing machine. She now runs a small business from her home making and mending clothing for her neighbours.
“The self help group has brought many people together. We help each other and have more security.”
By helping people to work their way out of poverty and to support each other, The Leprosy Mission are providing hope for the future as well as gaining access to those communities where leprosy is most prevalent.
Leprosy is caught in the community and the symptoms, stigma and disabilities are felt in the community. The Leprosy Mission need to be there too.
Supported by ThinkBiggar.com
