Who resides within the safe compounds of St. Devi’s Academy and the LOT Home in India?
Leprosy is rarely thought about in the Western World. Yet in many countries with high levels of poverty leprosy is still an active disease. Leprosy has generated fear in societies for thousands of years causing affected people to be stigmatized, rejected by family or friends, loss of jobs leading to no income or home.
Leprosy damages the nerves especially in the hands, feet, face, and even the eyes, nose and throat. If the nerves sustain damage then sensory nerves cannot register pain, paralysis can develop, and consequently, feeling and movement rarely returns.
Leprosy is an unsightly disease triggering deformity of the hands, feet and other parts of the body. Nepal is one of the world’s most underdeveloped countries ranked 157 in the Human Development Index. It is also one of 4 countries that have not eliminated leprosy from its population. The World Health Association (WHO) considers ‘elimination’ to be 1 case or less in 10,000 people. Though leprosy is treatable people in Nepal are separated from the populous into colonies.
In 2013 Lalgadh Leprosy Service Centre located in Janakpur, Nepal in the Dhanusha district treated more than 11,000 people with leprosy. 1,160 were new cases and 141 were children.
St. Devi’s Academy has quite a number of children who lived in the leper colony prior to joining St. Devi’s family. These are healthy children who were removed from society due to the disease of their parent(s) or relative(s). Fortunately these children now live a full, healthy life without being disgraced through association of the disease. We praise God Trips with a Mission is able to provide a home and education for God’s little ones, no matter their origins.