SEPT 2022 Venki in Pradesh,AndhraIndia You backsomethingtoNowsogivenhavememuch.Iwantgive
Right: Venki grew up in The Rainbow Children’s home and is now studying for a BSc in Nursing. She is pictured cleaning and bandaging the wounds of a leprosy patient
At that time, Wellesley and the early pioneers could only offer love and care for people with leprosy. There was no cure, but I am so thankful that these dear people experienced the love of Jesus as modelled in the gospels. We can hope they experienced the peace
It is by looking back that we can see what a monumental breakthrough Multidrug therapy has made. The latest scientific advances now hail the end of leprosy in our lifetime. This is all because you have responded in such an incredible way to the Greater Heights campaign. By rebuilding Anandaban Research Centre, scientists can continue making pioneering discoveries. It is only through new treatments and diagnostic tools that we can end leprosy once and for all.
I’m excited to see Venki in this edition of New Day. I had a very special few days at The Rainbow Children’s Home in India. This amazing place is full of the love of Jesus, demonstrated by the way staff care for many children who have experienced a difficult childhood. The small team gently counsel and encourage these children, building trust and hope. Your support means they have the opportunity to learn and Wellesleyflourish.Bailey
In the late 1800s, Wellesley Bailey, the founder of The Leprosy Mission, travelled to India. The Irish missionary was shocked to the core when he came across a community of people with leprosy. Their bodies were broken. They had been rejected by their communities and left to fend for themselves. It must have felt as if he was living in Biblical times, and I’m sure that he recalled how as followers of Jesus we are called to care for the broken and shunned.
God bless you and the difference that you continue to make.
I’m sure like me you’ve been thankful for the bountiful harvest we have had this year. The farmers have gathered the fruits of their labour after sowing and nurturing for many months. As you too have sowed in to and nurtured the work of The Leprosy Mission, people affected by this disease are reaping the fruits of your faithfulness and generosity. What a blessing to be the hands and feet of Jesus in such a special way!
that transcends all understanding by coming to know the Lord themselves.
famously said The Leprosy Mission, God’s Mission, was born and cradled in prayer. Our team continues to meet for prayer at 9.30am every day, to ensure that God is at the centre of the work you support. And how does He answer our prayers? By touching your hearts, a community of faithful servants for whom I thank God every day.
Dear friend
Peter Waddup Chief Executive
WELCOME—2PAGE
In this edition of New Day, you can read just how far you have brought us in our shared mission to end leprosy. It is only because of you that we can dream of finally seeing the last cases diagnosed in our lifetime.
John 10:10 (NIV)
3PAGE—WELCOME
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
“My mother is very happy to see me do so well, but I think she is lonely. Once I have a house she can come and live with me, and I can support her.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to study. Now I am in a good college, doing a great course and I have amazing friends in the girls’ hostel on campus. There are a lot of opportunities for nurses.
Venki had many happy years at the Rainbow Children’s Home. She loved the
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“After I finish my course next year, I would like to take higher studies in nursing so that I can become a surgical nurse.”
At first Venki was reluctant to leave her mum and move to the Rainbow Children’s Home. But after her mother’s gentle encouragement, Venki became excited at the thought of living with other children. She would be able to go to school for the first time! Even at such a tender age, Venki knew that an education would pave the way to a better life. She made the brave decision to move to the home, a few hours away, knowing she’d still regularly see her mother.
Venki often returns to the Rainbow Children’s Home during the holidays.
She says: “I have been helped so much by people’s kindness and now I am so happy that I will be able to give something back.
Venki comes from a leprosy colony in Andhra Pradesh in India. Her father had leprosy as well as HIV, and sadly he died when she was just six years old. Venki’s mum wanted the best for her daughter, but she struggled to make ends meet by growing and selling vegetables.
On the cover of this issue of New Day you can see a beautiful, confident young woman training for her dream job as a nurse. She is a picture of health and happiness.
A forheartcaring
“My life and my future would be very different if it wasn’t for the Rainbow Children’s Home,” she said.
When Venki was eight years old, she was offered a place at the Rainbow Children’s Home. This special place cares for children found on the streets, as well as many from leprosy colonies. The children have lots of nutritious food, clothing, an education, and healthcare. They are loved by the amazing staff who treat every child as if they were their own. Your gifts are used to give the children the lives and opportunities they deserve.
Your gifts do so much more than cure leprosy. They enable many people affected by leprosy across Asia and Africa to live life in all its fullness. It’s hard to imagine what would have happened to young people like Venki if they hadn’t been cared for by people like you.
other children as brothers and sisters. It was through helping the younger children that she realised she wanted to take care of others. This planted a seed in her mind. From this small seed grew a passion for nursing. It was a happy day for everyone at the home when Venki won a place to study nursing at a prestigious medical college.
You are giving so many people like Venki the chance to live out their hopes and dreams. Because of you they can prosper and thrive, breaking the chains of leprosy and poverty. They can never thank you enough.
It is important to stop and take stock as we progress on our mountainous challenge to end leprosy. A staggering 16 million people have been cured of the disease in the past 20 years alone! Your support has enabled The Leprosy Mission to be a leading organisation in achieving this milestone. We praise God and give thanks that you are part of His mission. We are so grateful that you have transformed so many lives.
two years. After just two weeks, a person is no longer infectious. Back in 1982, the miracle trio brought with it a wealth of opportunity and a wave of optimism.
Multidrug therapy was a gamechanger. For the first time it was possible to cure leprosy once and for all. Previously, a lifetime of medication was required simply to ‘manage’ the disease.
Dr Premal Das carrying out reconstructive surgery
Thanks to you, enormous strides have been made in the battle to defeat leprosy. This year, together we celebrate 40 years of Multidrug therapy, the first effective cure. It is hard to believe four decades have passed since you first sent teams to every corner of the globe with this wonder drug!
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Multidrug therapy is a combination of three antibiotics, taken for six months to
The battle to defeat leprosy
It would be a nightmare if we didn’t have Multidrug therapy. In my lifetime alone so much has changed because of this treatment. The other day I was at an outpatients’ department and there were ten new leprosy cases in just that one morning. The patients had a skin smear, saw a physiotherapist and then a counsellor. They then went home with their Multidrug therapy at the end of the day. It is truly amazing how far we have come.
Dr Premal Das on ward rounds at Naini Hospital, India
Dapsone is one of the three antibiotics used in Multidrug therapy. It was used as a way to control leprosy rather than cure it. People would either be injected with Dapsone or take it in tablet form. Treatment had to continue for a patient’s whole life. By the late 1960s, there was increasing bacterial resistance to the drug. As a result, it became less effective.
7PAGECARE—ANDLOVEOFGENERATIONS
Generations of love and care
was it; you had to stay at the hospital for the rest of your life. The patients were well cared for and were allowed to see visitors outdoors. But, as you can imagine, this did little to numb the pain of leaving your child at a hospital forever.
The challenge now is that we need more new drugs and treatments. We need to be prepared for resistance to the Multidrug therapy medicines. Treating leprosy in its early stages is vital to prevent disability. Better diagnostic tools are the way forward. Catching the disease early is essential to stop the spread. It is paramount to ending leprosy.”
I knew Multidrug therapy was on its way when I was a medical student in Vellore. Drug trials which lasted a decade, took place in Malta during the ‘70s. The Covid vaccines showed us how quickly drugs can be developed and approved. That is if there is finance and political intent behind them! Leprosy is not like Covid. It’s a poor person’s disease affecting poor countries, and therefore low priority.
As a young child in the sixties, I remember seeing children coming to the hospital. The whole family would be crying. Back then if you had leprosy that
Dr Premal is a reconstructive surgeon and leads The Leprosy Mission in India. He has restored mobility to disabled hands and feet for more than 30 years. Dr Premal’s family has a great legacy. His grandfather was a Leprosy Mission doctor in the 1890s and was visited by Wellesley Bailey himself! His father, uncle, aunts, and cousins also served the Mission as doctors and surgeons. Dr Premal married his wife, Dr Loretta, after the couple met at Christian Medical College in Vellore. They joined The Leprosy Mission in 1985.
The roll out of Multidrug therapy was slow; it was 1995 before it reached every part of India. My first few years at The Leprosy Mission were spent in the community, finding, and curing leprosy. We would carry large jars of water and set up a village clinic under a tree. Multidrug therapy was an expensive medicine and there was a vibrant black market. It had to be given as a supervised dose. We had to make sure the medicine had been swallowed by pouring water down patients’ throats.
At the time, the antibiotic Dapsone was used to treat leprosy. It replaced painful injections of chaulmoogra oil. The oil was extracted from a fruit grown in Eastern India and had limited success in curing leprosy.
“My father was Superintendent at The Leprosy Mission’s hospital in Poladpur, Maharashtra. My interest in leprosy began when I was only six! Visiting surgeons would arrive to conduct reconstructive surgeries which I’d watch with fascination. They used to travel five hours from Mumbai to Poladpur every few months and would stay for three days. Many were taught by Dr Paul Brand who pioneered specialist reconstructive surgery.
Dr Premal says...
Photo © Sabrina Dangol
I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
Anandaban Hospital patients enjoy some mountain air while taking a walk downhill from the hospital ward
It is only through you that this research is taking place. At the beginning of the year the future of all research at Anandaban was jeopardised. The current dilapidated lab faces imminent closure as it is no longer fit for purpose. But you chose to continue Jesus’ ministry of bringing healing to people with leprosy.
momentsMountaintop
Research shows that only 5% of leprosy cases are being cured globally. There are still millions of people living with untreated leprosy today. These people desperately need a diagnosis so that they too can receive the cure. There is a real urgency for early diagnosis before disability sets in.
The happy news is that research for two diagnostic tests is being carried out at Anandaban! The first is a finger-prick lateral flow test. The simple test uses biological markers to indicate someone’s exposure to leprosy bacteria. Scientists at Anandaban are currently identifying the best combination of these markers.
In an old mountaintop research lab in Nepal, scientists have a clear vision of how to end leprosy forever. The team of researchers at Anandaban Hospital know it takes more than a cure to reach the summit.
Mountaintop experiences are the start of new beginnings. When a person experiences the enormity of God’s power, love and grace, we talk of a mountaintop moment. At the peak of a mountain there is visibility, clarity and perspective. We can somehow see the bigger picture.
Left: The mountaintop lab Hospital.AnandabanWhile medical breakthroughs are taking place inside this centre, the building is no longer fit for Photopurpose©Sabrina Dangol
Research is also underway that would allow leprosy to be diagnosed on a smartphone. An adjusted smartphone camera would determine if a skin lesion was caused by leprosy. Such a simple and readily accessible tool could diagnose millions more cases.
It takes a high level of clinical skill, and often a lab skin smear, to give an accurate leprosy diagnosis. For many the damage has been done by the time this happens.
An ‘on the spot’ test for leprosy would be a gamechanger. It would enable a person to be diagnosed without leaving their community. Such a test would allow more people to be diagnosed and treated than ever before!
Thank you so much for your incredible response to the Greater Heights appeal. It is only because of your kindness that a new Research Centre at Anandaban is now in the advanced design phase. Construction on the state-of-the-art research centre will begin next year. The breakthroughs made in the new facility will pave the way to ending leprosy once and for all. Thank you.
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Above: Pictured (L to R) is Global Advocacy Manager, Mathias Duck, with Trustee for The Leprosy Mission, Zoica Bakirtzief, and Rachna Kumari. All three have been treated for leprosy. However, it is Rachna, from India, who has suffered the most in terms of social exclusion and discrimination. Rachna, a mother of two, recalled: “It was harrowing. I went into a depression and wanted to die.”
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a wise poet surmised that we ‘are in the same storm, but not in the same boat’.
The three are pictured in London after attending an event at the House of Lords in June. ‘End the Neglect’ raised the profile of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Rachna told her story to parliamentarians to show how UK Aid spending could help to end diseases like leprosy.
While the virus itself may be indiscriminate, the burden of Covid fell unequally. Universally, people living below the poverty line were hit the hardest. National lockdowns left millions starving
BOATSDIFFERENTSTORM,SAME—10PAGE
Same differentstorm,boats
and without basic medical care.
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October is ‘mental health in an unequal world’. The theme is one embraced by Mathias Duck, an advocate for people affected by leprosy. Mathias knows how poverty can compound problems surrounding leprosy, making them seem insurmountable. Mathias’ sense of justice and purpose grew from his own experience of having leprosy.
It turned out that Covid was not the ‘great equaliser’ that many had declared it to be in early 2020.
often due to a lack of knowledge. I remember our team visiting a man at home who’d been treated at the hospital. When they arrived, his house was surrounded by barbed wire to isolate him from the community. But as soon as medical workers entered the man’s home, everyone’s perception changed. A year on he was back living with his family. Neighbours realised that he posed no threat after treatment.
People travel long distances to reach Menonita Hospital. Many patients need specialist treatment for complications surrounding leprosy and stay several weeks. Sadly, discrimination means families still abandon their loved ones at the hospital. I’ve even heard horrific stories of houses being burnt down, with someone affected by leprosy in the house at the time. It’s true that leprosy can be disabling, but I know that the social consequences and rejection can be far more devastating.
I realise I’m very fortunate. I’ve not suffered discrimination. I have no disability. I’ve had some anxiety and fear, but it hasn’t affected my life in a traumatic way. Visiting leprosy patients certainly helped me deal with the disease. Being affected myself enabled me to truly minister to other people. Now I can connect with them on a new and different level.
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I have met many people affected by leprosy, but I never imagined the impact this disease would have on me personally. In October 2010, my wife Cynthia was pregnant with our third child. It was at this time I felt an intense tingling in my right hand. It was as if my hand was falling asleep. Even though my immune system had not been weakened by poverty, I realised this could be a symptom of leprosy.
Mathias says...
A lot of my work involved teaching people about leprosy. I’d give talks to student health workers to explain that leprosy is a disease like any other. Why then should we discriminate against people who are Discriminationaffected?isso
I had thousands of questions. Had I endangered my family? Was it wise for me to continue working at Menonita Hospital?
Despite being in the best place to deal with the disease, it still took me three years to be able to freely talk about it. The prejudice surrounding this disease overarches all geographic, cultural and economic boundaries.
I do believe, however, that God is the master recycler. After time for healing, God can turn any experience into something good and beautiful.
My diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. Even with the support of Cynthia and my parents, I wasn’t ready to tell my colleagues and friends at the hospital. When I told the pastor chaplain, he responded saying, “I can’t believe you have it, people like us don’t get leprosy.” He was trying to be supportive, but he left me feeling awkward and confused.
Jesus called his disciples to cleanse those with leprosy. Likewise, He calls us to minister to the wellbeing of those outcast by society. My personal challenge, as an advocate for people affected by leprosy, is how can I make a real difference? There is now a special rapporteur for leprosy at the United Nations who carries a lot of influence. Our task is to ensure that the advocacy results in practical action for the people who need our help the most.”
As well as Multidrug therapy to cure the disease, I was prescribed steroids which alleviated my symptoms in just two weeks. Thankfully, I didn’t infect my family. Although, in many ways, I would have preferred that we had it rather than another family who didn’t have our privilege. My work in the hospital meant that I was diagnosed and treated straight away. My wife is a nurse so between us we were well equipped to see the signs.
Mathias Duck was treated for leprosy in 2010 and is The Leprosy Mission’s Global Advocacy Manager
“I was born and grew up in a German Mennonite community in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. I never lacked food and had a good education and a decent job. I married Cynthia, who is American, and we had our first son in California. We came back to Paraguay when he was only two months old. I was excited to become a chaplain at Menonita Hospital. The hospital, run by Germanspeaking Mennonite churches, specialises in leprosy, TB and HIV. It’s very important to our community. I’ve always loved nature and the countryside around the hospital is stunning. I passed many happy days of my youth there.
I knew if I did have leprosy, I would have to take Multidrug therapy and face being a leprosy patient myself. I went to see the doctors at our hospital. As I suspected, they diagnosed leprosy.
“God can turn any experience into something good and beautiful”
Leprosy has left deep emotional scars on the lives of millions of young people today. Prejudice has robbed them of their hopes and dreams.
Youngleprosy.people
like Zaha, who is from a family affected by leprosy, have to cope with daily discrimination. Sometimes they have no choice but to leave home to escape the stigma. It is not easy to start again, and the isolation and loneliness is so hard.
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Thank you so much for your support in helping people recover emotionally, as well as physically, from
Zaha is 20 years old and lives in a village 40 miles from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. The village is home to
Opening minds
130 families who are affected by leprosy. It is one of five communities in the Open Minds project. Supported by Comic Relief, this project works to improve the mental wellbeing of young people.
Can you imagine being abandoned as a child by your parents and friends just because you have a disease? The terrible rejection and feeling of worthlessness because those you love most have pushed you away?
A total of 787 young people from these communities now come together to share their experiences. Small groups are led by a peer counsellor and are supervised by a health or social worker. The young people are encouraged to talk about their dreams, difficulties and fears. Younger children join art therapy sessions to help them express their feelings.
Zaha leads group sessions as an Open Minds peer counsellor. He excelled in science and maths at his local school and would love to have gone to university. Sadly, this was out of his reach as his parents are disabled by leprosy. There was no way to pay for further education. Undeterred, Zaha makes and sells food along a dual carriageway to support his family.
Zaha is a peer counsellor for young people affected by leprosy, having faced his own mental health challenges because of the disease
Zaha, and others like him, are learning to cope with the difficult situations they face in their lives. They join together to take a stand for acceptance and opportunity.
Zaha was struggling with depression and anger when he joined Open Minds. He was referred to a mental health unit at a nearby hospital where he remains under the care of a Whilepsychologist.Zaha’semotions
used to overwhelm
him, he has now learnt to step back and work through his thoughts. He knows that making small changes to his lifestyle can make a difference to the way he feels. As a peer counsellor, he now shares his mental health experiences with the group.
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Maryam, 28, knows only too well the emotional turmoil associated with leprosy. Maryam was only 16 when she was given in marriage to a man affected by leprosy and the couple now have five children. Maryam volunteers as a peer counsellor on the Open Minds project. She finds helping others takes her mind off some of the challenges her own family faces.
He said: “There is a stigma attached to mental health conditions. Those of us that were referred to the clinic get asked a lot of questions by our peers and even our parents. They ask us whether we are ‘mental’. We explain to them that anyone can have a mental health problem and that it is not something to be ashamed of. Help is available, but you must open up about what you are feeling.”
Today, many businesses are still reluctant to employ someone from a family affected by leprosy. The disease causes so much fear. Beliefs about leprosy being a curse means precious family bonds are so often destroyed. Family members are thrown out of their homes. Husbands and wives, parents and children. Leprosy does not discriminate. Rejection, isolation, and struggle are not what God wants for people affected by leprosy.
I wonder whose dream will come true today because of you?
Will you help a young person affected by leprosy achieve their true potential?
Please give what you can today.
So much has already happened in the fight to end leprosy. I can’t bear to think of where we would be now if it weren’t for wonderful supporters like you! You are continuing the incredible mission to finally rid the world of this devastating disease through your commitment and love of people affected by leprosy.
Please give what you can to train a young person at a Vocational Training Centre and change their life for good. Think of the hopes that your kindness can make a reality. When you provide a young person with essential skills training, you are helping to unlock their true potential.
Thank you for continuing to be the hands and feet of Jesus for people like Vinothini. Her story could have been one of hopelessness. But you stepped in and gave her a future! Because of supporters like you, Vinothini learned sewing technology at a
Leprosy Mission Vocational Training Centre. She received accredited training and passed her exams with the highest grade across the whole of India. Isn’t that amazing?! Instead of her family carrying shame because of leprosy, they can have pride in their daughter. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about the change in her life!
It costs £153.43 to train a person affected by leprosy to become a mechanic.
In this edition of New Day, you will have read how your kindness has inspired so many. So often, Leprosy Mission staff around the world are astounded by how you continue to stand with them. It encourages them to keep going, and keep pushing forward, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
When Vinothini’s mother was diagnosed with leprosy, her future looked bleak. Who would want to employ someone from a family with leprosy? For us, it’s hard to understand why Vinothini would lose opportunities just because her mum had leprosy. But sadly, one leprosy diagnosis can still blight a whole family.
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It’s not just staff, its people affected by leprosy too. Young people like Vinothini, who lives with her parents in India. Because of faithful supporters like you, she has been able to secure a good job and provide for her family.
Vinothini now works for a good company. She dreams of becoming a fashion designer one day. She’s so thankful that kind people like you have given her this opportunity. She always had the potential, but without your help, it would have been wasted.
It costs £128.06 to train a person affected by leprosy in sewing technology and tailoring.
Every blessing, Peter.
Thankfully, you were there for people like Vinothini. But there are so many more young people across India that need an opportunity to fulfil their potential. They are waiting for someone to give them the chance. Today, will you be that person? You can provide training for someone affected by leprosy just like Vinothini. You can give them the helping hand they need. You can help them to dream again!
It costs £185 to train a nurse in leprosy treatment.
You can provide training for young people like Vinothini, so they can work and build a bright future.
Have you ever thought about the milestones you have passed on your journey? Romans built miles paces, stone far they had come.
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Today we use the term ‘milestones’ to mark significant events or turning points in our Havelives.you
recently reached a milestone in your life? it time to update your Will? providing for your loved ones, a gift in your Will could be a final step closer to reaching the milestone of ending leprosy. What a legacy that would
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doesn’t need to be daunting. To help you, The Leprosy Mission has partnered with Farewill, a free and easy to use Will writing service. farewill.com/leprosy-nd3 gift in your Will of will help create a world free from leprosy
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TITLEPAGE/SECTION—16PAGE Registered Charity No. 1050327 | A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No. 3140347 01733 leprosymission.org.ukpost@tlmew.org.uk370505 The Leprosy Mission England & Wales leprosymission@leprosytalk The Leprosy Mission England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay Peterborough, PE2 5GZ globe Facebook twitter INSTAGRAM Inside back cover photography © Sabrina Dangol Scan me with your smartphone camera for your free will writing service globe farewill.com/leprosy-nd3
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