Leprosy kills the nerves in the skin, creating a
permanent loss of feeling. Without the sense of touch,
it is very easy to damage limbs. This is how leprosyaffected
people get their reputation of losing fingers
or toes. Help protect tender feet from wear and tear by
purchasing micro-fibre rubber sandals.

Leprosy Mission hospitals specialise in the cure
and treatment of leprosy patients. Because they are
often the only health service in the area, they also
care for people from nearby communities with other
significant health issues such as malaria, TB and
dysentery. This gift will provide one day of hospital
care for one person.

Crutches and walking sticks enable people who
have difficulty getting around to more easily attend
to everyday tasks such as household chores,
buying groceries, attending school, and going to
work. This gift of crutches will help someone live a
more independent life.

For children affected by leprosy and poverty, school
isn’t always an option. Often the expenses for books,
uniforms and materials are too much for parents to
afford. This gift will provide school expenses for one
socially excluded child for a full year.

The income generated by a small business
transforms many lives: families, suppliers,
employees, and of course, customers! This
gift enables a family to become independent
and free of poverty, providing the training
and equipment necessary to start up a small
business such as goat rearing, candle making, a
small goods shop, or growing vegetables.

A Goat is a great gift – just one goat can supply
a family with milk and income for many years, as
well as producing manure to help fertilise crops.
Livestock are very valuable commodities in the
developing world – they help provide a longterm
income that can bolster a family’s ability to
support themselves.

In some countries, girls receive less education
than boys, leading to lower literacy rates and fewer
opportunities later in life. In a leprosy-affected
community, conditions can be even worse, as
females with leprosy have an even lower status.
This gift provides a disadvantaged girl with the
costs of education for one year.

One of the most vulnerable parts of our bodies is
our eyes. Leprosy can sometimes cause cataract
damage and blindness, and simple surgery is
needed to restore eyesight enabling people to
become self-sufficient again. This gift of eye surgery
provides all the funds needed to operate on and
provide after-care for a person with cataracts,
bringing a dramatic improvement to their lives.

Getting around when you are disabled can be
difficult, especially when the terrain is rough or
hilly. Many people with disabilities in areas of
chronic poverty cannot travel far from home and
rely on family to help move them around. Handpowered
tricycles enable disabled people to travel
longer distances as well as carry everyday loads
like groceries and market goods.

Learning a craft is a way to not only make a living
but also provide a service to the whole community.
Leprosy Mission vocational training centres teach
a variety of skills to leprosy-affected people and
make assistance available for the equipment
required to begin a trade. Getting started is often
the hardest part! This gift provides a sewing
machine to a young person opening a new tailoring
business.

A vaccine for leprosy could eliminate this
disease forever. Prevention is always
preferable to treatment, and with this gift you
provide funds for much-needed research into
this still mysterious disease so a vaccine can
be found to eradicate it once and for all.

Stronger immune systems result in less
leprosy. Good sanitation is needed in order to
have healthy communities. In Nepal, waterseal
toilets are part of a strategy to reduce
waterborne disease, providing a clean, secure
place for locals to go, well away from the main
water supply.

This gift provides funds for all the components
necessary to cure one person of leprosy forever:
surgery, physiotherapy, medical check-ups and
follow-up appointments. A chance for a new life
offers hope and stability to people’s futures. This
is not just a good gift - it’s a gift of life!

Clean water is never guaranteed in developing
countries. In many places, water-borne diseases
such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery are lifethreatening
health hazards brought about by dirty
drinking water. Nobody should have to live in fear
of the water they drink – give a hand-operated
Water Pump and help a whole community avoid
disease. These pumps come with washing areas
and where needed, a female bathing room for
privacy. Nice!

Poverty-affected areas often have basic or very limited
infrastructure. Many people do not have any kind of
public space to use for community needs such as self help group meetings. This gift of a Community House provides a one-room, brick house - a safe environment in
which leprosy and poverty affected people can meet for
training, education, workshops, formal talks, community programmes, and more.