Your donations for life-saving food parcels doubled - see page 10!
Welcome
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
Dear friend
Welcome to the Autumn edition of New Day!
As we have journeyed together this year to help some of the most marginalised people in the world, I’ve found myself counting my blessings a little more often. A safe home for my family, a steady income, water flowing from taps both upstairs and down. And as I thank God for the ‘basics’ I so often take for granted, I also thank God for you. You have provided comfort and basic needs for so many communities and individuals affected by leprosy. You have shared the love of Jesus through your prayers and generosity.
Back in January 2024, we told you about a special oasis of care in Bihar. This state in India has some of the highest levels of poverty and leprosy in the country. The Leprosy Mission’s Muzaffarpur Hospital is the only place in Bihar where leprosy patients are cared for free of charge. It’s a place of hope, healing and dignity. But last year that hope was under threat because of the dire state of its outpatients’ department.
It is because of your generosity that the construction of a brand new outpatients’ department has begun! The foundations have been laid and the brickwork is about to start. We expect everything to be completed by the end of next year.
In January’s New Day, you read about how God had led us to colonies in Odisha. You saw the despair and desperate need of these unwanted communities, and you showed these precious people that Jesus had not forgotten them. Today, your outpouring of love is building new homes, digging wells for clean water, growing fruit and vegetables, and restoring dignity with toilets. What a blessing!
Despite all of the wonderful foundations for the future that are being laid, we recently heard the incredibly tragic news that help came too late for some of the very elderly and disabled people in the colonies. The intense heat meant that many couldn’t go out to beg and died of hunger. Like me, I’m sure you find this both shocking and heartbreaking. Please pray for
Cover image: Eduardo is a volunteer Leprosy Champion. Photo: Ricardo Franco.
Above: Anju, Administrator at Muzaffarpur Hospital, stands on site where the new OPD is being built!
all those who are grieving the loss of friends and neighbours. These people thrown together by misfortune have become family to each other over many years of shared struggle.
The loss of these dear people weighs heavily on our hearts. While work is underway to provide sustainable change for these communities, there is an immediate need to feed people. We cannot allow another person to die of starvation. A humanitarian food programme needs to be started quickly to alleviate hunger. Please would you consider helping to fund a food parcel? You can read more about this at the end of the magazine.
As we work to meet this urgent need in Odisha, I really want to thank you for the compassion you have shown for people in Myanmar. In the aftermath of a terrible earthquake on 28 March, you so kindly provided emergency food and medical care. It was such an encouragement to the team in Myanmar to know that you were standing with them. You can read about the medical volunteers you’re sending into communities affected by leprosy on page 6.
Volunteering is a thread that runs through this edition of New Day. Both here and overseas, volunteers are at the very heart of everything we do, and a very special part of the TLM family. The dedication of volunteers is really humbling, and
we’re so grateful to everyone who serves the Lord in this way. I hope you enjoy reading how our volunteer team is bringing healing to Mozambique.
There’s no denying that world leaders, for whatever reason, are increasingly inwardlooking. We only need to see the cuts to international aid made by wealthy countries across Europe and of course in America. In a message as challenging today as it was 2,000 years ago, Jesus teaches us that our neighbour is anyone who needs mercy and compassion.
We hope it blesses you to read Bunmi Oluloto’s reflection on ‘who is my neighbour?’. Bunmi is our dear friend and colleague, heading up the work you help to fund in Niger.
Thank you for being a true neighbour to people affected by leprosy. In an increasingly self-serving world, your love shines as an example of caring for others.
With every blessing
Peter Waddup Chief Executive
The power of volunteers in Mozambique
You’ll remember The Unconditional Appeal from 2022, which aimed to train ‘Leprosy Champions’ in Mozambique. Thanks to your kindness, we have been able to recruit and train 807 volunteers who are now on the front line of the battle to end leprosy in their country.
Every day, these remarkable volunteers bring healing and hope to remote communities. They come from all walks of life – priests, imams, traditional healers, village leaders and people cured of leprosy. They all know leprosy for what it truly is – a curable disease. They believe noone should endure the prejudice, heartbreak and disability it often brings.
The Leprosy Champions were trained because of your generous support for The Unconditional Appeal, which was awarded UK Aid Match funding. This meant that every pound donated up to £2 million was matched by the UK government. The appeal raised an incredible £4.4 million.
TheLeprosyChampionshavebeentrainedto recognisetheearlysignsofleprosy,andreferpeople fortreatmentbeforedisabilitysetsin.It’sajobthat requiresaspecialtypeofperson.Someonewhocan demystifyleprosyandturnfearintoaction.Itdoesn’t stopatdiagnosis.Thesevolunteerswalkalongside someoneontheirleprosyjourney,encouraging themeverystepoftheway.
Through The Unconditional Appeal, 2,955 people have been cured of leprosy. Nearly half of these –1,334 people – were referred for treatment by a Leprosy Champion! All because a volunteer with a heart like yours cared enough to be there for them.
One of the women who has been referred is Monihia, a mother of three. When unusual, discoloured patches appeared on her skin, she did what most people do in her village. She paid a visit to a traditional healer. But this healer had been trained as a Leprosy Champion, so rather than offering ineffective treatment, she sent Monihia straight to her local health post for the cure! Today, Monihia is living proof of the difference Leprosy Champions are making in Mozambique.
Monihia said: “I was the first person in my community to be diagnosed with leprosy. I didn’t know I had the disease and didn’t understand what was happening to me. I’m so thankful someone knew what was wrong and I was cured.”
The Leprosy Champions are creating a sea change in attitudes to and understanding of leprosy. The impact of your support will continue to ripple into more communities, and touch many more lives now and in the future.
Image:Monihia outside a Hub of Hope. Photos:Ricardo Franco
Beacons of light
You’ve helped to build 22 Hubs of Hope! You’ve provided places which have become the beating heart of once disjointed communities affected by leprosy.
The Hubs, located in war-torn Cabo Delgado and Zambezia, are true beacons of light. This is literally the case as they are the only places which have electricity and internet!
Each week at the Hubs, an astounding 1,703 people affected by leprosy meet together in self-care groups. Group members check one another’s feet for cuts and grazes. They clean and bandage any wounds they find to prevent infection. This is a real risk when you can’t feel pain. Making sure injuries don’t ulcerate is the best way of preventing disability.
Most people in rural northern Mozambique survive through subsistence farming. Climate change means cyclones are increasingly frequent and destroy many harvests. At the Hubs, the farmers are taught to grow more resilient crops, such as beans. They are also advised to grow a greater variety to protect themselves should one crop fail. After feeding their families, they learn how to market any surplus crops to provide an income. It’s a fantastic way of ensuring a sustainable supply of food for everyone.
Savings groups meet at the Hub to help support anyone with a financial emergency, such as a serious medical condition. A total of 3,578 people have benefited from agricultural training and help with finances.
Monihia had farming training at her village Hub. She says it has given her a new lease of life after finishing leprosy treatment. She has been so inspired that she has teamed up with other farmers to create a community farm. They now have a more nutritious diet as well as raising an income by selling surplus produce. This social enterprise also gives away produce to those too disabled to work.
Thanks to your compassion, lifechanging work is taking place in Mozambique. Once struggling villages are being transformed into vibrant and resilient communities.
Celebrating your love
Volunteers are such an important part of The Leprosy Mission team. You are an amazing group of people who give your time and talent in countless ways. Without incredible volunteers, we would not be able to share the love of Jesus so widely.
Each week, talented volunteer speakers bring the plight of people with leprosy to life. Inspirational Church Representatives organise special services and fundraising events. Others achieve remarkable personal goals such as running a marathon. Motived by changing lives, this generosity of spirit is such a blessing to people affected by leprosy.
Thank you so much for giving your time and resources. We are so grateful for everything you
do! When we tell people in leprosy communities about you, it is such an incredible witness. They find it hard to understand that someone they have never met cares about them. That someone they don’t even know would choose to walk alongside them in their greatest hour of need. That someone is you! You achieve extraordinary things when you give your time and gifts in His name. You help to bring God’s kingdom here on earth for people affected by leprosy.
If you are interested in joining our volunteer team then please don’t hesitate to call us on 01733 370505 or email hello@lm.org.uk
Thank you for being God’s rescue plan
On 28 March, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook Myanmar. It claimed nearly 4,000 lives. It plunged an already suffering nation deeper into crisis.
Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been in turmoil. The United Nations estimate the conflict has claimed over 6,800 lives. More than 3.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting. Press freedom has been silenced, so much of the hardship is hidden from the world.
The earthquake’s epicentre was just outside the north-western town of Sagaing. This is an area impacted by fighting between the military and pro-democracy forces. A short distance away, Mandalay – Myanmar’s second-largest city –was decimated. With the economy in tatters, rubble from flattened buildings still lines the
streets. Now, post-earthquake, the United Nations warns of a ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian crisis.
Even before the earthquake, access to healthcare was scarce. Years of violence had made travel dangerous. The only two specialist hospitals for leprosy care were already almost impossible to get to.
But God saw the suffering of people affected by leprosy in Myanmar. Through you, His love spoke loud and clear to people trapped in their communities by disability, poverty and conflict. Your generosity trained health volunteers to be the hands and feet of Jesus. These kind and brave volunteers are now going into marginalised communities every day. Communities that otherwise would have been forgotten.
The tenacious volunteers are a vital weapon in the fight to prevent disability. Cleaning and dressing wounds, distributing essential medicines and finding new cases of leprosy. They source the cure for patients from the nearest government health post.
The volunteers take your love with them wherever they go. They show God’s love to people who have not known kindness for many years. A smile and an arm around your shoulder can make all the difference. It means more to a broken heart than any medical treatment.
Because it is so dangerous to travel, care, including surgery, needs to be provided in the community itself. Your gifts are funding pop-up surgical camps.
In the midst of the fighting, medics like Dr Saw, who you can see pictured, are conducting life-changing surgery. It is wonderful that movement is being restored to limbs in makeshift operating theatres.
Everyday your prayers and kindness bring hope to where there once was none. It is because of you that people know they are deeply loved. We can’t wait to bring you more stories of how you are carrying the light of
Thank you for being part of God’s rescue plan for people affected by leprosy in Myanmar.
Image top: Because of your support, Dr Saw was able to operate on leprosy patient Dae Wa Nah’s hand at a pop-up surgery camp. This was held in a Leprosy Mission Disability Resource Centre.
Christ into the world’s darkest corners.
Who is my neighbour?
‘“Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert of the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”’
Luke 10: 36-37
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches us a profound truth. When Jesus was asked ‘who is my neighbour?’, he showed us that it is someone who shows mercy. A stranger who stops and gives selflessly, even when it’s costly and inconvenient. This is not just a lesson for the people of His time, but a call that echoes across centuries.
Jesus’ message is more relevant today than ever. As followers of Christ, we are called to love not just the neighbour next door, but our global neighbours. People of every faith and ethnicity. These include the men, women, and children
affected by leprosy, poverty and exclusion. Although they live thousands of miles away, distance should not diminish our responsibility.
The call to ‘love thy neighbour’, is one that our Country Leader in Niger, Bunmi Oluloto answered 32 years ago. This is when he joined The Leprosy Mission in his home country of Nigeria. He had newly graduated from university where he met his wife, Loveth. Bunmi had recently become a Christian and knew he was being called to mission. But little did he know it would be God’s plan to send him and his family deep into the Sub-Saharan desert!
In 2005, with two young children in tow, Bunmi and Loveth made their home in the grounds of Danja Hospital in Niger. Bunmi was tasked with running the struggling mission hospital. This is the only place in Niger where leprosy patients are loved and cared for free of charge.
While Bunmi knew God was calling him and his family to Niger, it still felt a challenging thing to do. Niger is a desperately poor country, one of the world’s least developed nations. The arid land and intense heat make it so hard for anything to grow. As climate change tightens its grip, a growing number of dry riverbeds can be seen etched on the barren land. Needless to say, disease, malnutrition and poverty are rife.
The couple had many concerns about the move to Niger. Bunmi feared the stifling heat when temperatures regularly hit 45 degrees. While most people speak Hausa, a local language, the official language of Niger is French. Bunmi says he still struggles to speak French all these years later. He and Loveth had concerns for the children’s schooling. How would they manage missing their wider family and friends back in Nigeria?
Yet while Niger was never Bunmi and Loveth’s desire, 20 years later the country is home to the Oluloto family. In fact, it is the only home their youngest son, Goodness, has ever known! Bunmi and his incredible team are such a blessing to the people of Niger. Last year 1,007 leprosy patients were cared for at Danja Hospital. A total of 302 people were found and cured of leprosy through outreach work.
Earlier this year, we had the joy of welcoming Bunmi to the UK for two retreat and learning days held for our team. During this special time, we learnt more about life in Niger. Together we sought God’s will for how we can best reach and serve people affected by leprosy. Bunmi opened our time together by guiding us through the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Bunmi says...
The way we treat others – especially those in need – reveals the depth of our relationship with God. We cannot truly love people unless we first love God. The more we grow in our love for Him, the more we will be able to care for others from the heart.
Every person is incomplete in some way and needs the support of others. Just as Adam was incomplete until God gave him Eve, we all need people around us who carry something we lack.
In the same way, God places people in our lives to help us. He also gives us gifts that others may need. At The Leprosy Mission, we know our neighbours include people affected by leprosy. People who have been overlooked or forgotten by society.
Sometimes our lives take unexpected turns. We may find ourselves in situations that drag us down. We can move from a place of peace to chaos, from good health into sickness, from joy into sorrow. These attacks might affect our finances, physical or mental health or our emotions. The enemy can strip us of our confidence, dignity, peace and joy. He wants to leave us wounded and helpless –full of shame, guilt and pain. At our lowest point, we may feel like we are just surviving. Walking around without real life inside us, waiting for someone to rescue us.
In the parable, a priest and a Levite passed by the wounded man. These were people who seemed holy and important. But they couldn’t help because they themselves were also going down the same road. They were empty and far from God. Religion and systems of the world can’t save us if they lack God’s grace. They might look like they have answers, but, without the Spirit of God, they are powerless to bring healing.
Then a Samaritan came by. He saw the broken man and had compassion. He stopped, cared for him, and gave his time, energy and resources. He saw the man’s pain. Until we are able to truly see the needs of others, we will struggle to help them.
We can often be so busy. So much so that we become distracted by our own goals or challenges. We fail to notice the people God has placed in our path. My message is that we need to ask God to help us see through His eyes.
I pray that God will help each of us to see what breaks His heart. Let us ask Him to open our eyes to the suffering of others and to fill our hearts with His love. For it is when we see through God’s eyes that we will be moved with compassion and ready to act.
Image: Bunmi at Danja Hospital with leprosy patient Alhassane.
Will you help provide emergency food parcels for people living in the colonies of Odisha?
Thank you for all you have already done for people living in desperate poverty in Odisha. You are truly a blessing to people who thought they had been forgotten forever. You’re standing with them for a time such as this!
As you have already read, I am heartbroken to share that starvation and the intense summer heat meant that many elderly and disabled have died.
Together, we now need to act quickly to protect the most vulnerable who cannot even beg and rely on the kindness of neighbours to survive. That’s why I’m asking if you will provide a food parcel for someone affected by leprosy in Odisha. One parcel costs just £20 and lasts a month.
Thanks to a kind supporter who shares your heart for the people of Odisha, I’m so thankful to share that every gift you make today will be matched up to £100,000. For every food parcel you send,
another will go alongside it. This means that your kindness will have twice the impact.
We cannot allow more people to die just because they are hungry. With your help today, people like Pala will be given a lifeline.
I had the privilege of meeting and praying with Pala. He is 70 years old and lives with his wife Naranga in a colony called ‘the dumping ground’. He is badly disabled by leprosy and completely blind. Words cannot describe the hardship he and his wife face every day. With no children to care for them, they are alone.
Pala lost both of his parents as a child and grew up with his uncle’s family. There was no money for school, but he was a strong boy and worked in the fields as a daily labourer. He found a wife, and together they lived in the family home. They had three sons together, and the little family was poor but happy.
Image: Peter spends time with Pala and his wife Naranga in their leprosy colony in Odisha, India.
But everything changed when Pala was 24. He started noticing white patches appearing all over his arms and legs. He ignored them for as long as he could, not knowing that leprosy was slowly attacking his body. A year passed, and working became more and more difficult as the feeling disappeared from Pala’s hands and feet. The panic grew with each day that passed. He knew he had to get help so he could keep working. How else could he provide for his family? Can you imagine the weight that was resting on his shoulders?
A year later, Pala was diagnosed with leprosy. He could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears as the doctor’s words sank in. How had this happened? How would he tell his family? Pala had no idea just how bad their reaction would be. As he shared the news, a dark cloud settled over the family. He could see everyone was scared, even his wife. That night as he lay on the floor trying to sleep, Pala knew something very bad was coming.
The morning came too soon, and with it the news he was dreading. “My family said I had to leave. They no longer wanted me. Even my wife turned her back on me. I was forced to leave everything I loved, my three sons, everything.” The tears fell as Pala shared his sadness at never seeing his boys grow up, and of the pain of leaving them forever. He would never see them again.
As the news sank in. Pala felt afraid and all alone. It’s hard to put ourselves in his shoes, isn’t it? He didn’t know what to do. “I wandered for a while, not knowing where to go. I slept outside temples or on shop steps on the side of the road. I felt so ashamed.”
One afternoon, he met some people who were also affected by leprosy. They told him about the colony where they lived and invited him to join them. Pala was given a small room for shelter. He did his best to settle, learning to beg. There was some happiness as he met Naranga, who was also living alone in the colony. They got married and helped one another. They have spent a lifetime here together.
Today, Pala is badly disabled because of leprosy. He struggles to walk more than a few metres and needs help because he can’t see. Naranga is also disabled. She can barely stand, struggling with painful back problems. Old, weak and unable to beg, they rely entirely on others who share what little they have. Most days they have just one small meal of rice and dal. Vegetables are rare. “Some days I sleep without having eaten any food. I feel weak and tired.”
I will never forget his words as I got ready to leave. Pala placed his hand on mine. “Please will you come back? Please will you help us before we die?”
You’ve already shown your commitment to the people of Odisha. Today, we must act again. We must make sure these precious people have what they need to survive. There is so much hope on the horizon because you’ve chosen to act before. But today, we need to meet the urgent needs of people like Pala. We can’t let any more people die of hunger.
I know like me, you won’t ignore this plea for help. Yes! In Jesus’ name we will help Pala and others just like him. Today you can provide a food parcel for elderly and disabled people in Odisha.
Remember it costs £20 per food parcel for a month. And every gift you make today will be doubled. Meaning your kind act of love will have twice the impact.
How many people will you reach out to help today?
Every blessing
Peter
Savitri was cast out of her village. Forced to leave her family. She’s alone, simply because she has leprosy. Yet Savitri is seen by you.
Leaving a gift in your Will – even just 1% – can change everything. It tells someone like Savitri that she is not forgotten. That she matters. That she is part of your story.
Even the smallest gift can carry the greatest meaning. Let your kindness live on for generations to come.
Will you consider leaving a gift in your Will? Make your story a legacy of love.
For more information about leaving a gift in your Will, please contact Dan at danielh@lm.org.uk