Your compassion is such a blessing... thank you for collaborating with us
“So we, though many, are one body in Christ.”
Romans 12:5
The ministry of caring for people affected by leprosy and eliminating this disease cannot be done by one person.
It takes all of us working together to achieve big things in the name of the Lord Jesus. Whether it’s people serving with partners overseas, those affected by leprosy and their organisations, and many others in governments, media, community groups and churches, there are thousands of us striving for the same goal.
And I thank you for being part of this ministry alongside these others. Your choice to collaborate with The Leprosy Mission is such an incredible witness to others both here at home and overseas. I constantly pray that God uses your faithfulness for His purposes and glory.
This latest edition of Action Magazine is packed with encouraging answers to prayer and examples of collaboration!
Total Loving Cures that give healing to sick girls like Soniya
The inspiring testimony of leprosy advocate, Amar Timalsina during his recent Australian visit
Skin Camps – a form of caring community health outreach for villages in Nigeria
The story of Heather Newtown, one part of our faithful Leprosy Mission family.
I hope the news you read in the pages ahead will stir up your spirit as it did mine. Please join me in giving thanks to God for every life touched – and seed sown – because of your kindness and loving generosity.
God Bless you,
Greg Clarke CEO, The Leprosy Mission Australia
Amar’s visit to
Australia
Once he faced rejection, discrimination, exclusion from school and attempted suicide multiple times due to leprosy.
Now Amar Timalsina is travelling the world sharing his powerful testimony of God’s love in global forums such as the United Nations. In February, he visited Australia, inspiring churches and the dedicated staff and volunteers at The Leprosy Mission in their efforts to end leprosy transmission.
Today, Amar works tirelessly to dismantle leprosy myths and fight stigma—particularly in rural areas where poverty and lack of awareness contribute to delayed diagnoses, treatment, and subsequent disabilities. Thanks to his advocacy, Nepal is moving toward abolishing discriminatory laws against individuals affected by leprosy.
TAKE ACTION!
You can help others like Amar who are affected by leprosy throughout Nepal through your gift of $45 monthly.
Yes… she feels it even from mountaintops in Nepal!
To a young girl like Soniya, your TLC (Total Loving Cure) is like a warm hug.
Finding out you have leprosy is overwhelming news at any age. So you can imagine how scary it was for Soniya, who is just 14 years old.
When she first noticed the patches on her hands and feet, she was already dealing with more than any child ever should.
Living on the poverty line, her family faces a daily struggle to survive. Her dad has no choice but to live away from home for work. This leaves Soniya and her little brothers in the care of their grandparents. She rarely gets to see him. Sadly, Soniya’s mum made the same choice a year ago, but she never returned.
Now Soniya’s leprosy diagnosis
Precious Soniya is SO thankful for your compassionate TLC
is another burden on her young heart… and YOU are helping her carry it!
Even though she often feels alone, she hasn’t told her school friends due to stigma. Now with your kindness, Soniya knows she can face the fear and uncertainty of living with leprosy.
For just $36 monthly, you can give a child like Soniya lifechanging TLC:
Total medical care including regular check-ups and physiotherapy.
Loving support for a scared young girl to teach her how to take charge of her healing and recovery at home. Cure with Multi-Drug Therapy to stop leprosy in its tracks!
Having seen the long-term disability that leprosy can cause firsthand, Soniya was worried that her little finger was starting to claw. She needs Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) right away to stop further clawing and other disabilities.
Leprosy is curable. And your faithful generosity will give a child like young Soniya a Total Loving Cure.
TAKE ACTION
Children like Soniya need Multi- Drug Therapy right away. You can give a Total Loving Cure to someone like Soniya for $36 monthly. Fill out the form on the back page and send it back or scan the QR code.
Thanks to your compassionate TLC… Soniya knows she doesn’t have to face leprosy alone.
Nigeria: Anatomy of a skin camp
Your generosity uncovers not only leprosy cases but other health issues too for children and families in Nigeria,as reported by International Program Manager Andrew Newmarch.
GOAL
The aim of a skin camp is not to just find leprosy cases and other common nontropical diseases but also to find general health conditions. By issuing a general invitation, we hoped more people would come and we would find some leprosy cases. In fact, this often happens and a number of disturbing diseases were found including hydrocele (swelling in the scrotum) and lymphatic filariasis (a parasitic disease that causes swelling, disfigurement and permanent disability).
ON THE DAY
PLANNING
Here’s an account of how we put together a skin camp, also known as a health outreach.
1. The Leprosy Mission (TLM) identifies an area likely to have many undiagnosed leprosy cases.
2. Contact local leaders to build support for a health outreach.
3. Gain buy-in from local health posts or hospitals who will be supplying doctors, health workers and pharmacists during the outreach.
4. Liaise with police to ensure security is present so the leaders and community feel safe.
5. Consult and set a date, usually a Saturday, so villagers can attend.
Welcome
I visited a health outreach in a place called Kwali, about an hour’s drive to the southwest of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. A big banner announced the location on an open square opposite the shops.
Skin health announcements
In the centre of the square a health worker, Zakari, was making announcements on the procedures as well as giving information about skin diseases and making general announcements. The skin camp is an effective way to get messages out to the community. It is very non-discriminatory as it doesn’t highlight any particular disease, especially one that carries stigma, like leprosy. It is also a way to do follow up contact tracing for any leprosy cases.
Registration
About 400 people attended and waited for a turn to present themselves to a desk where they were registered, weighed and measured and notes taken of their complaint.
Mobile clinic
Others would be referred to the mobile van where there were two private consulting rooms for individual examination. Some of these patients might be referred to the hospital/centre the following Thursday for further follow up, treatment or surgery. Yet others might be referred to the TLM rooms in Abuja for further care.
* This project is partly funded by the Australian Government. The Australian government 5:1 grant can be explained in this way: Every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding from the Australian Government to reach more people. The Leprosy Mission Australia has committed to contribute $1 for every $5 received from the Australian government. Your donation will allow us to extend our programs.
Consultation and pharmacy
Next, they would go to a series of 3 desks where doctors from the local hospital/health centre were in attendance to consult. Some would be moved to the pharmacy desk (left) where they would receive drugs for their complaint.
TAKE ACTION!
You can take action and help set up more skin clinics like this now.
It costs $1,000 to screen 100 people for leprosy as part of such an outreach. Fill out the form on the back page and send it back or scan the QR code.
Thank you for building up women in Timor-Leste
“Timor-Leste is still a patriarchal country. Men are always the leaders. When we go to meetings and do advocacy, it’s always men that we’re meeting.”
This is the reflection of Nona Reis, Misaun Lepra’s Executive Director. She knows firsthand what it’s like from the time she took over The Leprosy Mission Timor-Leste eleven years ago.
Nona faced an up-hill struggle to be taken seriously as a woman in leadership. “None of the disability organisations in Timor-Leste were being led by women. The women... were not seen as potential leaders and they were not being raised up.”
Because of her experience, Nona made a point of building up women as leaders using the three-step process outlined here.
Step 1. Education
Nona invested in university education, internships, workshops and mentoring for potential female leaders. They learned about organisational management, finance, HR and safeguarding.
Step 2.
Building strong organisations
Nona worked with funders to invest in two things: long-term organisational sustainability and the women leaders advocating and achieving real change for people affected by leprosy and disability.
Step 3.
Building confident leaders
Nona encouraged the women to take part in international conventions and discussions (pictured), which has helped them become wellknown as disability activists.
If you’d like to support this work, you can contribute towards the 5:1 ELETRA project in Timor-Leste. Your every dollar has 5 TIMES THE IMPACT for empowering women affected by leprosy and disability in Timor-Leste.
If you don’t recognise the symptoms, how can you get treatment? Thank you for providing leprosy awareness campaigns and expert medical care for dads like Idelfonso.
You helped Idelfonso save his livelihood
Thanks to you, he can still care for his family
It’s because of you that this caring dad of five can still provide for his wife and precious children. He is so grateful.
Idelfonso is 50. He’s spent his life growing tomatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes and corn to make a meagre living.
It’s physical, backbreaking work. The kind you can only do if you’re hale and healthy. So back in 2017, when Idelfonso first noticed curious patches on his skin, he didn’t think much of it. Whatever the condition was, it wasn’t keeping him from working. Or from providing for his family. But three years later, the mystery illness progressed.
Now covered in lumps and blisters, Idelfonso realised he was seriously ill. He went to a local hospital for help, but, heartbreakingly, the diagnosis was missed. Doctors sent Idelfonso home with nothing more than creams and paracetamol.
It wasn’t long before this mystery illness weakened his muscles and stole his strength… along with his ability to earn a living.
Had Idelfonso never come across an educational Facebook post, or caught awareness raising ads on television, he may not have recognised his symptoms in time to prevent lifelong disability.
But thanks to your kindness, Idelfonso DID learn about leprosy through an awareness campaign. He
acted quickly and was tested. And when the diagnosis was confirmed, the Misaun Lepra staff supported him through his Multi-Drug Therapy treatment.
With your support, Idelfonso has regained his health. He’s also learned to clean and care for his wounds to prevent permanent disability that could cost him his livelihood.
These days you’ll find him working the land as always. Giving thanks to God for the kindness which means he can still provide for his family.
TAKE ACTION!
You can help people affected by leprosy in Timor-Leste like Idelfonso through a TLC Regular Giving arrangement. Give $45 monthly to Timor-Leste by scanning the QR code or completing and returning the form on the back.
“Each person is treated as an individual who is loved by God...”
Spotlight
on Leprosy Mission Australia National Council Member, Supporter and Occupational
Therapist Heather
Newton.
Heather Newton became involved with The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA) after reading the book Ten Fingers for God about the life and work of Dr Paul Brand in India. She has sat on the National Council since 2012 and is the State Representative for Western Australia. An occupational therapist, she visited India and Nepal as a TLMA supporter.
What are some highlights of your work with TLMA over the years?
Working as an occupational therapist in Perth, it was a privilege to visit India and Nepal to gown up, go into the operating theatre, and observe medical staff perform surgery, especially tendon transplants in people’s hands. I would not be able to go into a theatre to see this in Perth. Seeing the doctor pray for the
patient before the surgery and then seeing good results, and then visiting and joining the Physio Department with the patients for hand therapy to regain movement was incredible.
What did you learn from your trips to India and Nepal?
While there are so many needs for people affected by leprosy, disability and other neglected tropical diseases, each person is treated as an individual who is loved by God. I met patients who had come to know Jesus when in hospital being treated for leprosy.
What is it like to be an Ambassador with Leprosy Mission Australia?
There are so many ways to fundraise. For example, I’ve organised a hike with friends to fundraise for a particular item such as a ‘Gift of Love’. It could be a toilet block for a community in Nigeria, the renovation of a Health Care Centre, or even a single toilet on World Toilet Day.
What motivates you to keep working for a world without leprosy and help rehabilitate those affected?
For people and their families affected by leprosy and disability to be healed of leprosy, children obtaining education, being provided with whatever is required to assist them move back into a regular life and come out of poverty. This may be by using aids, specialist shoes or personal prosthesis. Also, being trained and gaining meaningful work to support their families is life changing. I’ve seen the decrease of people being diagnosed, from over 600,000 people a year 25 years ago, to now around 200,000 people a year. This encourages me to know that an end to leprosy is in sight.
TAKE ACTION!
Would you like to volunteer like Heather? Fill out the form on the back page and send it back or scan the QR code.
Helping Krishna with hand therapy after his tendon transplant at Anandaban Hospital, Nepal, in 2019.
Take loving ACTION TODAY to end leprosy!
Thank you for being such a kind and faithful partner part of The Leprosy Mission’s global team. You are loved, appreciated and a blessing to the ministry of caring for people affected by leprosy.
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