quite believe how these stories had touched the hearts of people so far away. A true heart connection has been built between you and these communities. It’s something very special and precious.
because of your love. Please pray for everyone involved in seeking God’s wisdom and that He will guide decision-making for the future.
Please pray too for the team in Myanmar, and for people affected by leprosy who face yet more hardship because of the earthquake in March. I’m so grateful for the generosity of regular givers, who enable us to respond to emergencies quickly. We’ll be sharing more in the coming months about the ongoing needs of the communities we serve together.
More thanks from a very happy team at Champa Hospital in India. I so wish you could have seen their excited faces as they showed me around the new homes you provided for them. Repaired roofs, new kitchen and bathrooms, and proper windows and doors that keep out the snakes and mosquitoes. You’ve transformed their homes and made them a place of happiness to return to after a long day serving leprosy patients.
You’ve made an incredible difference to not only their lives, but the lives of their families too. It was such a privilege to pray with the nurses and bless their homes and together we thanked Jesus for you.
In the same state of Chhattisgarh, the dedicated team at Chandkhuri Hospital still live in terrible conditions. I know you’ll be as distressed as I was to
see their houses and hear about the problems they are facing when you read more on page 14. The nurses have wonderful faith that God will provide for them. Like you, we won’t give up until these amazing people have the homes they deserve.
Thank you again for all you are doing to bring hope and healing into the lives of people affected by leprosy. Your kindness is felt every day across Asia and Africa.
Every blessing
Peter Waddup Chief Executive
Image: Our partner in India, Victor Parisipogula, reads Anjali her article in New Day. He said it brought her incredible joy! She couldn’t
Image: Louise shows a delighted Sunitra the New Year edition of New Day. She loved seeing her and her dear best friend Bonita’s story in print and photographs for the world to see.
Laying the foundations for new beginnings
We are working with the Indian government to build houses in the leprosy colonies in Odisha. For every £2,500 you gave for a new family home, the Indian government gave £1,500. Match grants for the first 15 homes have already been secured and the foundations have been laid. Your kindness means people who desperately need a safe place to live will have a beautiful new home.
For women like Gubari, this is nothing short of a dream come true. Born to parents with leprosy, she has endured unimaginable heartache as a result. Growing up in poverty, Gubari was never able to go to school. Her father died after his foot ulcers, caused by leprosy, became severely infected. Gubari did everything she could around the home to support her mother who is disabled by leprosy. But at 12, the feared discoloured skin patches of leprosy began to appear on her arms. As you can imagine, Gubari
was terrified. She had seen her father die and her mother struggle with disability because of leprosy. What would this disease now do to her?
Her uncle took her to hospital and Gubari had treatment for six months. Even though she was cured, he refused to let Gubari back in the house when she returned. This was just the start of a campaign of hate against both her and her mum. Everyone in the community turned against them. Gubari wasn’t allowed to draw
Image: Gubari is so proud to show the foundations of her new house, a place that she and her daughters can truly call home.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3: 14
water at the village well, and she couldn’t go to festival celebrations. Eventually, they were forced out of the village and lived in a makeshift shelter under the trees for almost a year.
One day as they were begging, a man from a nearby leprosy colony asked them if they’d like to visit his village. He was kind and over time, he and Gubari decided to get married. They had two daughters together, but their happiness was short-lived. Chronic infected ulcers, followed by complications after an amputation were too much for his weak body to survive. It was like history repeating itself for Gubari.
Gubari walks five kilometres on disabled and ulcerated feet to beg in the nearest town. Her home in the leprosy colony is little more than a pile of crumbling concrete. Water pours through the asbestos roof during monsoon, and the ceiling is on the verge of collapse. Gubari fears it may fall on them while they sleep. Snakes and rats are regular visitors, and mosquitos are constant companions.
But not for much longer! Your love for people in the leprosy colonies means Gubari and her daughters will soon have the home they deserve. A place of refuge and safety. Thank you so much.
Peter writes...
“When I first visited the leprosy colonies of Odisha last summer, I met a lady who slept outside her home. She no longer felt safe sleeping under the broken asbestos tiles. From time to time part of the roof would fall, and she was scared concrete would hit her in the night. So whatever the weather, monsoon or stifling heat, she would sleep outside.
She was so frail and malnourished. To be honest, I wondered how she even clung onto life. I was sure this lady deserved a little comfort in her later years.
I did feel helpless as I gave her a hug. She was visibly shocked. She told me it was the first time anyone had hugged her since she had shown signs of leprosy as a child. Can you imagine a life like that? To think about it is heartbreaking.
She showed me around her small, unsafe shack of a home. There was a pile of rags in a basket, everything she owned. I asked her what she would like most in life and she said a new sari.
I vowed that if I was able to return, I would bring this dear lady a sari. But everyone we met needed basics like clothes, so our wonderful team in India organised saris for all the women in the colonies! And we were able to give shirts or blankets to the men. Such a small gesture, but it meant so much to both me and these precious people. In a way, it was a promise of the good things to come that you are providing.
It was lovely to give this lady the sari, but I could see her health had deteriorated. Her neighbour was cooking for her and begging extra hours to feed her. I was comforted to see that she was loved. The generosity of someone who has so little to spare is incredibly humbling. It cuts to the heart of the gospel. The very embodiment of love thy neighbour.”
Looking north of the border
In 2024 we welcomed Scottish supporters to the family as together we became The Leprosy Mission Great Britain! It was a joy to be able to share an insight into God’s leading for our mission at two special afternoon teas held in September. These took place at the House for an Art Lover in Glasgow and the Black Watch Castle & Museum in Perth. These afternoons with the lovely Pam Rhodes were a wonderful time of fellowship and thanksgiving.
We are delighted that we will be able to return to Glasgow and Barra Castle in Aberdeen for two more events in September. Do get in touch by email, hello@LM.org.uk, or ring 01733 370505 if you’d like more information.
Our new Scotland Country Head, Steven McLeish, has been touring the country. He is bringing
together supporters as we unite to cure leprosy and transform lives.
Steven is a fantastic preacher, speaker, writer and a BBC contributor. Through his passion for the spoken word, he raises the voices of people needing to be heard. At his talks he shares his poems about leprosy. You can read one here!
Image: Broadcaster and Vice-President Pam Rhodes welcomes guests to the afternoon tea held at the House for an Art Lover in Glasgow. Pam is pictured interviewing Dan and Babs Izzett of Somerset, who have both been cured of leprosy.
But it’s not just medical care that is so important to each patient. It’s the hand of friendship, reaching out. An acceptance that people affected by leprosy so rarely receive.
In 2024, the Karuna team provided 4,063 vital treatments. They also extended their work to cover the rural area of Thane outside Mumbai. During the year they found and cured 165 new cases of leprosy in Thane. Arin, 11, and his eightyear-old brother Shiven, are two of these people.
The boys’ mother, Manisha, was diagnosed with leprosy two years ago. A community health worker, trained by The Leprosy Mission, spotted the early signs on her body. She was immediately referred for treatment and given the cure.
Manisha had hoped that this would be the first and final brush with leprosy for her
precious family. Her heart sank when she saw a discoloured patch of skin on Arin’s young body. She alerted the community health worker who arranged for the Karuna team to visit.
Arin was found to have leprosy, as was his brother Shiven. Thanks to your generosity, the Karuna medics cured the two young brothers. The cruel disease was halted and will now not taint the rest of their lives. The team will continue to do regular checks on the rest of the family.
Leprosy is being cured every day in communities in and around Mumbai because of you. The hopes and dreams of children like Arin and Shiven are being restored. It is thanks to you that their light will one day be able to shine brightly in the big city.
Image: The Karuna ambulance is a welcome sight for so many as it tours the Trombay slum in Mumbai each fortnight.
affected by leprosy in a diagnosis. You ensure they receive the treatment they need. You are there to provide a safe, comfortable home for hospital staff. For nurses who share your heart of compassion for these precious people.
Yours and Shafalika’s commitment and dedication are replicated hundreds of times across India’s 14 Leprosy Mission hospitals. These centres are a beacon of light for people with leprosy. No one is turned away. Everyone is welcomed and freely given the vital life-transforming treatment they need. The hospital teams heal the physical wounds and soothe the broken hearts of people living with the devastating effects of leprosy.
And yet, at the end of their long and demanding days, they return to living conditions that would be unimaginable for most of us. Most of the living quarters were built many years ago from limestone and mud. They cannot cope with flooding in the monsoon rains. They have faulty electrics and broken toilets. Rodents and snakes get in and strike terror. The nurses deserve a safe haven where they are sheltered and protected. A home that can provide much-needed restoration.
We can’t stand by while these selfless warriors, healing and comforting people affected by leprosy, continue to live in such awful conditions.
You have the power to change this. Your kindness today can make a tremendous difference. This is a wonderful opportunity to honour India’s hospital heroes now and for the future.
It costs £50 to repair a leaking roof or replace broken bathroom fixtures. It costs £110 to provide new doors or windows, protecting a house from monsoon rains and animals. And it costs £1,910 to renovate a nurse’s home completely. This will provide a safe, clean sanctuary for them to return to after their long day of serving.
Will you prayerfully consider the part you can play in helping to restore the homes and hearts of leprosy heroes across India? Please give what you can today and show staff like Shafalika that they are not alone.
Your precious gift, no matter how small, can make a huge difference. You can bring about a monumental change in the lives of the devoted medical teams as they tirelessly serve. Each day, they pour compassion and kindness from their hearts into the hearts of their patients. Like me, I know you want to give them a safe and comfortable home. A place where they can rest and recover, so they can continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus. They deserve this much, don’t they?
Thank you for your continued support. Your love and compassion bring hope and light into the lives of people affected by leprosy, as well as the dedicated staff who serve them.
With heartfelt blessings,
Peter
Image top left: Shafalika loves her job in the pharmacy at Chandkhuri Hospital. Image top right: Shafalika’s unhygienic bathroom floods in the monsoon. Image bottom: The mosquito net over Shafalika’s bed not only serves to keep her safe from
