Kamal Ramdas Chilate is a 46-year-old resident of Amaravati district in Maharashtra. Her husband is a farmer, and her two sons work in Mumbai as daily wage earners. In 2019, she was diagnosed with leprosy. On an ASHA worker’s recommendation, she visited The Leprosy Mission (TLM) hospital in Kothara. She completed two years of treatment, but due to the fear of discrimination the society, she never disclosed her disease.

In 2021, she was enrolled under the Jeevan project of TLM. Despite having leprosy-related loss of sensation in her hands, she was not able to get a disability certificate and access the Sanjay Gandhi Pension Scheme (Disability Pension Scheme). The project team helped her get access to leprosy certificate (through NLEP). The team also convinced the Taluka Medical Officer and Tehsildar to approve her request. Within a few months, they sanctioned her case and 59 others. All of them are getting pension now.

On realising that Kamal was keen on becoming financially independent and starting something on her own, the project team invited her to attend trainings under the Entrepreneur Development Program. Regular counselling by the project staff also encouraged her to take the leap of faith. She started a readymade garments shop through the support of the project. She also secured a loan of INR 20,000 through the State Rural Livelihood Mission. Kamal is now able to earn between INR 12000 – 15000 per month. She is also the president of a Self-Help Group.