The Leprosy Mission (TLM)

The Leprosy Mission (TLM), founded in 1876 by Wellesley Bailey, is an international development organisation whose aims include the treatment of leprosy and the transformation and empowerment of the lives of people affected by the disease. TLM is a Christian organisation but provides its services regardless of religion or ethnicity. It works in around 30 countries across Africa, South Asia and East Asia.

At Naini in Uttar Pradesh (North West India), the community hospital was established in 1876 and currently registers 3,000 new leprosy patients and sees 2,000 people affected by leprosy each year. One of them is Kusum.

Kusum received a loan from TLM for her buffalo which produces four litres of milk a day. The local dairy man comes to purchase the surplus milk for 12 rupees per litre. This gives Kusum an income for her family and the dairy man sells the milk on in the city for 22 rupees.

Stigma towards leprosy is still a major problem in Uttar Pradesh. Kusum is the president of Pawarti self-help group which aims to assist marginalised women and help them improve their quality of life. The 13 members of the group are leasing a government pond and have bought some fish which they will feed for six months. When the fish weigh one kilogram, they will sell them to generate income - and, of course, they eat some too!

In Kusum’s village, there is a lot of illiteracy and members of the group practise writing their names every day. The children do so too.

Before the self-help group, the members would borrow money from the “money lender” at an extortionate rate of interest and, consequently, many of them got into worse debt. Now when they need financial help, they borrow from the self-help group at an interest rate of only 2%.

Prior to the formation of the self-help group, it wasn’t the culture for the ladies to sit together and talk about family and community life. Today, they meet every month because of the self-help group and donate 50 rupees to the fund. They have a minute book and a collective bank account and each member has a pass book. TLM has transformed the lives of these women in Uttar Pradesh and addressed their physical, social, economic and spiritual needs.

Please pray for the continuing work of TLM and our area representative Derek Hartley on World Leprosy Day on 30th January and throughout 2011. Thank you to all the supporters of TLM.

Wendy Jackson