This Year think of a Good Gift for Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day, The Leprosy Mission is offering a selection of gifts that can be purchased for mothers in New Zealand. These gifts benefit women and children around the world who are experiencing the stigma and discrimination of leprosy.  Women are particularly at risk and it is not uncommon for women with leprosy to be banished from their home.  Their children may be taken from them and they may be left with no means of income or security.

These are a different kind of Mother's Day gifts, focusing on the special needs of women experiencing the stigma and discrimination of leprosy:

• Cure One Person: From diagnosis to reintegration in community activities
• Gift of Sight: Leprosy often affects eyes, simple operations can improve or return eyesight
• School Kits for Girls: Ensuring an education for girls helps build them a more promising future
• Sewing Machines: Empower women by giving them the opportunity to start a small business
• A Goat: One goat can provide income and benefits (including little goats!)
• Sandals: Made from a special microfiber, these sandals protect feet made vulnerable by leprosy

Our inspiration this Mother's Day came from Kalika, a woman who lives in the Indian state of Bihar.  After the birth of her first child, Kalika was diagnosed with leprosy.   Due to overwhelming fear and stigma of this disease, her husband immediately left her, taking their newborn son with him. They never returned.  Kalika was completely abandoned by her family. 

To read more of Kalika's story go here