For the 13-year-old Gaganand, life was all about playing with friends. His days were filled with frolic and loads of fun. He loved playing cricket with his friends. But one day, two years ago, all this came to an abrupt end.
Gaganand was studying in Class 3 at that time. His mother, Savita Raju Rathore, noticed a discoloured patch on his body. As there was no sensation on the patch, she thought something was amiss and took him to the local doctor, who diagnosed him with leprosy.
With one person being diagnosed with leprosy every four minutes in India, the country accounts for 60% of the global leprosy caseload. Leprosy is fast becoming a growing public health menace in India.
Many people find it difficult to start livelihood initiatives just because they do not have enough land to start a new business or expand their existing one.
Understanding the predicament of many such persons, The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s IHDID project, a community development project working for inclusive, holistic development of persons with disabilities, based in Kothara, Maharashtra, developed an innovative solution. It developed a livelihood model with five types of activities that can be done on a 20 feet X 20 feet plot of land.
It was in 2016 that Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, partnered with TLMTI in its work with people affected by leprosy.
April 24 was a day of learning and merry-making for members of 19 Children’s Parliaments in Amravati district of Maharashtra. The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s IHDID project (Inclusive Holistic Development of Individuals with Disabilities) organised a summer camp in Chikhaldara, Maharashtra, where 195 children attended (of them, 26 were children with various disabilities).
