Stories
Emmanuel, Côte d’Ivoire
Just seven years old, Emmanuel is the eldest of three children. His father, Gilles, is a cocoa farmer in rural Côte d’Ivoire. One day, Gilles noticed a small bump on Emmanuel’s leg. At first he didn’t know what it was. After two weeks, the…
Silve, Côte d’Ivoire
Silve is a confident woman in her 20s from northern Côte d’Ivoire. A few years ago she started to feel intense pain in her hands. “I went to a traditional healer, who boiled leaves in water and then put my fingers into it. He did this for a…
Mayoyo, DR Congo
Mayoyo is an intelligent boy full of energy and potential. But when he was ten years old he got a wound on his leg that would not heal. Desperate for a cure, Mayoyo’s father took him to see a witchdoctor. The medicine he prescribed did nothing, so…
Erica, Ghana
Seven-year-old Erica sits with her mother behind their house in Ghana, under the shade of the cocoa trees. Erica’s mother works in a cocoa plantation. Her father is a taxi driver and travels long distances. Desperate for Help About two years ago, a boil…
Georgina, Ghana
Georgina is shy, yet never short of smiles, and she loves playing with her friends and reading. You would never guess that Georgina had a terrible case of Buruli ulcer that has left her extremely scarred. At one point, the ulcer had spread all along…
Rose and Lucky, Ghana
Rose and her husband farm maize and beans in Ghana. They have seven children. Lucky is their 16-year-old son. About two years ago, an ulcer developed on his leg. His mom took him to a local clinic where, thanks to your support, he was tested…
Sarah, Ghana
How Your Gifts Blessed Her, in Her Own Words Sarah is a young mom in Africa who has suffered terribly from the flesh-eating disease Buruli ulcer. But thanks to you, she’s received treatment, a skin graft and a micro-credit loan to help her set up a shop…
Vinod, India
We first met Vinod in 2022 . He lives with LF disability that impacts his daily life and self-esteem. That’s when he found our Jagruti project.
Surya, India
Surya is 10 years old. He loves playing cricket with his friends and learning in school. But, unknown to him or his family, Surya also had early symptoms of leprosy. Although his mother had leprosy five years ago, they didn’t recognize the signs of the disease in Surya…
Hannah, Liberia
Ten-year-old Hannah lives in a small village in Liberia, surrounded by lush, green vegetation. It’s a remote place; it takes two hours, driving on brown dirt to get to the main road. Hannah spends her days playing with siblings and friends, attending…
Sein Nu, Myanmar
Living in Myanmar, Sein Nu sits in her bamboo hut. Dressed in peasant’s clothes, she also wears the signs of leprosy. The bridge of her nose has collapsed. Her hands are claws, and she has lost some of her fingers. Her feet are swollen and deformed…
Khusbu, Nepal
Khusbu is 12 years old. She lives with her mother, older brother and sister, and younger sister in Haripur, Nepal, near our partner, Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital and Services Center. Several years ago, Khusbu’s father was sick and his family visited…
Palti, Nepal
Palti Devi and her husband live in Nepal, in one of the districts where our Jagruti project is active. Diagnosed with leprosy over 10 years ago, last year she lost sensation in her left leg.
Patili Maya, Nepal
Patili Maya lives in a small village in rural Nepal. A few years ago, she started to notice a loss of feeling in her feet. They developed wounds that wouldn’t heal. Her hands slowly became paralyzed. Eventually she was diagnosed with leprosy and…
Sangeeta, Nepal
Sangeeta is a member of Nepal’s Sada caste, who are frequently outcasts in their communities.
Sarbasiya, Nepal
“My life was very happy before leprosy,” Sarbasiya says. A wistful look appears as she thinks about the past. “I have six children, and we had a good life. My husband was very kind to me. When he would come from work, he would see my face and tell…
Sarita, Nepal
How You Helped Her Find Healing, Respect and Jesus’ Love, in Her Own Words “When I was 10 years old, I developed white patches on my body. All I knew was that I had a skin problem. When I was 16, I started getting ulcers, and then I knew that I had…
Shanti, Nepal
At 14, Shanti had seen the effects of leprosy firsthand: her mother and oldest sister were diagnosed with the disease about five years ago. Shanti first noticed skin patches on her feet around that time, but she tried to ignore them. Then her…