JA N UA RY 2 02 1
NO MATTER HOW LONG NO MATTER HOW FAR NO MATTER WHAT GIVE BEFORE 24 APRIL AND THE UK GOVERNMENT WILL DOUBLE YOUR GIFT
‘WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.’ 1 JOHN 4:19 NIV
Cover: Pictured is Fatima who was inspired to train as a Leprosy Changemaker after witnessing the effects of the disease on her brother Mario. You can read all about Mario and the inspiration he is to his community on page 6. Fatima says: “People don’t like leprosy in their communities. But it is up to us to let people know that leprosy can be cured. If you take the medicine early enough then leprosy can be treated quickly to prevent disability."
communities in Mozambique together to end leprosy.
Dear friend I hope this edition of New Day finds you well and I’d like to wish you a healthy and peaceful 2021. I pray that God will be close to you and your loved ones, especially in the coming weeks of lockdown. It’s a challenging time, but I’m trusting that the Lord will uphold you. Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness to people affected by leprosy, despite all the challenges that you have faced personally because of Covid-19. Through isolation, loneliness and for many, grief; you have steadfastly reached out with love and compassion. I’d like to tell you about a country very much in my prayers. You will have seen Mozambique on the news and heard of the difficulties this country is trying to overcome. Cyclones, violence, internal displacement and now Covid-19 have hit communities hard. Of course these include people affected by leprosy. At a time when it couldn’t be needed more, I’m delighted to tell you about our new Unconditional Appeal. This will bring rural
Through this appeal, together we can raise up Leprosy Changemakers like Deolina; people trained to recognise the signs of leprosy. We can dispel age-old myths about the disease that cause fear and discrimination. Together, we can build Hubs of Hope; places from which God’s unconditional love can flow and where people affected by leprosy are welcome. Together we can make leprosy a thing of the past in Mozambique We have been given a wonderful opportunity, thanks to UK Aid Match, to become Leprosy Changemakers for Mozambique from our own homes here in the UK. Whatever you give today will be doubled by the UK government, meaning your unconditional love will go twice as far for people affected by leprosy. I’m excited to introduce you to Dame Darcey Bussell, one of the world's most celebrated ballerinas and star of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. Darcey has seen for herself the work of The Leprosy Mission in Cabo Delgado. I hope you enjoy reading about why she is supporting The Unconditional Appeal. With every blessing
Peter Waddup National Director
Deolina knows what a blessing it was to be cured quickly. If she hadn’t been treated, she could easily have developed a permanent disability. This would have put her livelihood as a farmer in jeopardy and with it the welfare of her family. Touched by the love and care she received, Deolina trained as a Leprosy Changemaker. She wants to do whatever it takes to help others recently diagnosed with leprosy. She understands how they feel and what they need. She has walked in the same shoes. This is an unconditional love that keeps on giving.
D EO L I N A — PAG E 3
Meet mum-of two Deolina, from Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. She is proud to call herself a Leprosy Changemaker. Deolina was cured of leprosy 15 years ago, after finding discoloured patches on her skin. Thankfully she remembered hearing a woman talk about the early signs of leprosy and went to find her. This kind and reassuring lady took her to hospital, where Deolina’s leprosy was diagnosed and cured.
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there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives outfear.
PAG E 4 — DA R C E Y ' S H O L I DAY W I T H A D I F F E R E N C E
1 John 4:18 NIV
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DARCEY’S HOLIDAY WITH A DIFFERENCE DAME DARCEY BUSSELL SAYS… According to many psychologists, there are just two primary emotions: love and fear. Holidaying with my family in Mozambique, I witnessed these two polarising emotional states running side by side. A vicar who lives locally to me had told me about the wonderful work of The Leprosy Mission. He really inspired me to meet people affected by leprosy and hear their stories. I knew it would also be a positive experience for my daughters. We were so blessed to have the opportunity to visit a community affected by leprosy. What we saw will stay with us forever and it has been on my heart ever since. This is why I’m supporting The Unconditional Appeal, and hope that you will join me. As we sat in the community, I met people who had been disabled by leprosy simply because they hadn’t known what was wrong with them. They hadn’t known what the early signs and symptoms, such as a discoloured skin patch or a wound on their hands or feet that failed to heal, meant. I also learned about the discrimination that people face because of myths surrounding leprosy. I was so shocked to hear that even though it can be cured, many were still rejected by family and communities.
I tried to imagine what it must be like for those walking through this terrible injustice. I could barely bring myself to. It was just so painful. I then saw what love could do. The unconditional love of the team in Mozambique provided the cure for leprosy. Their love reached out to teach communities how to recognise the symptoms of the disease for themselves, and care for limbs robbed of feeling. It was their love that broke down the fear of leprosy by talking about myths. And it was this same love that listened to heartwrenching personal testimonies that started the healing process. Unconditional love changes you. The love you receive inspires you and, in turn, draws you to change the lives of others. Leprosy Changemakers, like Deolina, come forward in their communities. They are people, like you and me, who share a determination to make leprosy a thing of the past. The amazing news is your unconditional love can go twice as far today, thanks to match funding from the UK government. Please prayerfully consider making the very most of this unique opportunity that The Unconditional Appeal represents. God bless you
DA RC E Y ' S H O L I DAY W I T H A D I F F E R E N C E — PAG E 5
JOYFULLY LOVE CAST OUT FEAR. OUT OF DARKNESS CAME LIGHT.
PAG E 6 — N O M AT T E R H OW LO N G
NO MATTER HOW LONG Mario is a voice for change. In his 15 years of volunteering, Mario has reached out to hundreds of people with leprosy. His own experience of leprosy drives him to help other people seek early treatment. It was over 30 years ago that Mario found out that he had leprosy. “I found patches on my body and a wound,” he explained. At first, Mario’s family took him to a traditional healer in his village. He was given some herbal medicine, but it made no difference. By the time Mario got to a hospital, the wounds on his hands had already caused irreparable damage. It was too late. If he had sought medical help earlier, he would still have his fingers. But Mario’s experiences have inspired him. He is keen to ensure no one is left behind and everyone feels part of their community. He goes house to house in remote villages and holds meetings to raise awareness about leprosy. For many people living with the disease, it can be frightening to come forward for help. Mario offers words of encouragement and shows his unconditional love by using his own life as an example. His message is simple: “Don’t wait to get treatment.” Leprosy can be treated by taking Multidrug therapy, a mixture of three antibiotics. Individuals need this vital cure as early as possible to prevent lifelong disability.
Back in his village, Mario is a respected and trusted voice for change. He does everything he can to make sure everyone belongs. He even leads the community’s traditional songs, lifting the spirits of those around him. Mario knows how to bring people together, and this community spirit is key to beating leprosy.
N O M AT T E R H OW LO N G — PAG E 7
NO MATTER HOW FAR
PAG E 8 — N O M AT T E R H OW FA R
How far would you go to show someone you love them? Every day, Gabriel travels miles to reach people in the most remote places. His journey is often long and arduous. The tyres of his motorbike skid on red dirt tracks as the baking sun beats down. When Gabriel arrives in a village he is always welcomed. People know he has come to help. Gabriel is a Community Health Worker, specially trained by The Leprosy Mission to find and cure people with leprosy. Too often, he has seen the damage this disease can do if left untreated. Gabriel will stop at nothing to protect people from developing life-changing disabilities caused by leprosy. When Gabriel finds someone with symptoms, he undertakes a thorough assessment. He checks for patches, loss of sensation, and inflamed nerves. Once he has made a diagnosis, he provides Multidrug therapy. Thanks to Gabriel's expertise and dedication, a person diagnosed with leprosy can then go on to live life to the full without fear. Gabriel has a real heart for people, and his compassion shines through everything he does, from providing expert leprosy treatment to offering emotional support.
Kristina can be found each day working the land in her remote Mozambican village. She grows maize, peanuts and a root vegetable called cassava. If the weather is kind, she can put food on the table and make a living selling her produce at a local market. Recently, however, Kristina has struggled to work. She noticed white patches on her hand that had no feeling when she touched them. She injured her fingers and then developed open wounds that wouldn’t heal. Kristina was worried these would become infected when she worked in the fields. She was right, and the wounds soon ulcerated. There is no doctor or health clinic in Kristina's community, so she sought the advice of a traditional healer who told her to take a special bath. This didn’t work and the ulcers on her hands got worse.
By the grace of God, Kristina heard her neighbour talk about a volunteer in a nearby village who had staged a community drama about leprosy. Trained by The Leprosy Mission, he had also gone house to house checking his fellow villagers for symptoms of the disease. Kristina found the volunteer, who welcomed her and treated her kindly. He took her to see Gabriel, the Community Health Worker. Gabriel diagnosed Kristina with leprosy and gave her Multidrug therapy. He cleaned the wounds on her hands and taught her techniques to prevent further injury while working in the fields. Crucially Gabriel put Kristina's mind at rest. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, Kristina is no longer frightened of leprosy. She's able to continue working the land and selling her produce, enabling her to feed herself and her family.
N O M AT T E R W H AT — PAG E 9
NO MATTER WHAT
PAG E 10 — H U B O F H O P E
HUB OF HOPE Your support for The Unconditional Appeal will build community hubs, giving a beating heart to a rural village. A community hub, a Hub of Hope, is a place where everyone is welcome in the fight against leprosy. It is a place where Leprosy Changemakers can learn to recognise early symptoms of the disease.
Every villager can prosper through the work of a Hub of Hope. You can help farmers to learn how to protect their crops from extreme weather and sell surplus produce to provide an income. The seeds of small businesses can be sown and nurtured here, giving opportunities to young people and raising living standards in their community.
By helping to build a hub, you won’t just be curing leprosy. You’ll provide a safe space where every villager is welcome. A space where health camps can take place and communities can learn about leprosy through traditional songs, dance and drama.
A Hub of Hope is a place where people affected by leprosy are welcomed unconditionally.
PAG E 10 — P I O N E E R I N G T R E ATM E N T
Left: Florinda, a Community Health Worker, shares leprosy messaging through traditional songs at a Hub of Hope. Florinda says people remember messages through song. She believes music paves the way to ending leprosy in Mozambique.
H U B O F H O P E — PAG E 1 1
Above: You can help farmers like these in Cabo Delgado to learn about extreme weather and how to protect their crops. At a hub they have the opportunity to form cooperatives and learn how to sell their produce effectively. Food security is improved by teaching the whole community to be more resilient to climate change.
BRINGING LASTING CHANGE As well as medical intervention, it takes a sea change, a cultural shift, to make leprosy a disease of the past. Will you prayerfully continue to be the heart of this change? By supporting The Unconditional Appeal today, you will become a Leprosy Changemaker too. You will be paving the way to a Mozambique free of leprosy and discrimination.
PAG E 1 2 — B R I N G I N G L A S T I N G C H A N G E
A community of Leprosy Changemakers is made up of…
TRADITIONAL HEALERS For every medical doctor in Mozambique there are 50 traditional healers. In the rural communities of Cabo Delgado, a visit to a traditional healer is the first port of call for someone needing medical care. Leprosy Mission teams all too often hear of someone with leprosy being prescribed a special bath as a cure. When this doesn’t work, they then consider medical help, but it’s not easy to find. As a result, valuable time is wasted before receiving the cure for leprosy, leaving the person at risk of avoidable disability. But things are changing. Traditional Healers are being trained as Leprosy Changemakers too. This means they can refer suspected cases of leprosy to a Community Health Worker for fast diagnosis and treatment.
HEALTH WORKERS Community Health Workers, employed by the Mozambique Government, are being trained to diagnose and treat leprosy. In this way, health workers like Gabriel are also becoming Leprosy Changemakers! Community Health Workers not only diagnose and cure leprosy, but also teach self-care. It is vital people with nerve damage caused by leprosy know how to care for their hands and feet to prevent disability. Community Health Workers are also trained in rights awareness and counselling.
B R I N G I N G L A S T I N G C H A N G E — PAG E 1 3
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS Volunteering is at the very heart of The Leprosy Mission. And who better to reach out with compassion and understanding than someone who has walked the same path? People affected by leprosy, like Deolina, Mario and Kristina, are being trained as Leprosy Changemakers to recognise the early signs of leprosy. They are even going door to door in remote villages, telling people about the disease and that it is completely curable. They are a vital linchpin between the patient and medical services; a supportive friend on the journey to a cure.
RELIGIOUS LEADERS Religious leaders have a deep and trusted relationship with the communities they serve. Recognising this authority, The Leprosy Mission is training church leaders and Imams to identify the early signs of leprosy. But to help win the fight against leprosy, we must also harness their power to change perceptions.
The story of Jesus healing a man with leprosy features in both the Quran and the Bible. When Jesus welcomed this man back to the fold, he showed us there is nothing more important than to welcome home those once banished. His actions challenge an ancient myth that a person with leprosy is somehow cursed.
PAG E 1 4 — B ECO M E A C H A N G E M A K E R
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God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16 NIV
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WILL YOU BECOME A LEPROSY CHANGEMAKER TODAY? Can you imagine what it was like for Deolina before she was diagnosed with leprosy? The discoloured patches on her skin were confusing. She wouldn’t have known what they were. It would have been scary! She would have asked herself questions. Would it get worse? Would she be able to continue farming? How would she feed her family? Thankfully Deolina was cured before she developed a severe ulcer that could have led to amputation or disability. Deolina is one of the lucky ones. She knows this too, and now she has become a Leprosy Changemaker. She wants to make sure that many others across Mozambique are found and given the cure for leprosy in time. She understands what it’s like not knowing. Now she is a voice of reassurance to others. She knows what they are going through. Today you can join a community of Leprosy Changemakers. You may not be able to walk in the same shoes as someone like Deolina. But you can be part of the story too. Your donation today can train someone just like Deolina to find more people affected by leprosy before it’s too late. You have an amazing window of opportunity. When you donate before 24 April your donation will be doubled by the UK government. That means your gift goes twice as far. Together with people like Deolina your unconditional love can rid Mozambique of leprosy. For good! Become a Leprosy Changemaker today and partner with the incredible team in Mozambique. United, our unconditional love has great power. Together we can give people the chance to determine their own future, free from leprosy and discrimination. Please see overleaf to see how you can help.
B ECO M E A C H A N G E M A K E R — PAG E 1 5
For too long, leprosy has torn lives apart. In rural Mozambique, healthcare is difficult to find and leprosy treatment is even more limited. Without the right care, leprosy can cause permanent disability. Fear of the disease leads to prejudice and isolation. Too often, people with leprosy are thrown out of their communities and separated from the people they love. Leprosy takes everything from them. Their health, their opportunities, their family.
PLEASE DONATE WHAT YOU CAN TODAY:
Before 24 April, your donations made to The Unconditional Appeal, up to £2 million, will be doubled by the UK government to equip local communities to bring an end to leprosy in Mozambique.
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