PEOPLE AFFECTED BY LEPROSY IN ANURADHAPURA

Regional health department of Anuradhapura requested help for 70 patients who are badly affected by leprosy. However, ICI elected 20 patients out of the 70, due to financial constraints, to provide transport to clinics for a period of one year and elected 15 patients, who are below poverty line to provide nutritious food over a period of one year.

The primary goal of ICI is rehabilitation and restoration of these individuals to maximum physical wellbeing for an active life and ensure that they have equal opportunities with families and their community.

Leprosy patients go through strong multi drugs medical treatment. During the treatment, over a period of one year, due to the strength of the drugs, patients grow lethargic and their immune system is weakened. The patient needs to eat healthy nutritious food to stabilize, sustain and strengthen their system to live their day to day life. To boost the immune system, they need intake of highly nutritious non-rice foods such as meat, fish, milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. Diet supply of the nutritious food is the most vital factor in leprosy.

Recent studies revealed that food shortage was associated with leprosy. It was confirmed that there is a relation between socioeconomic factors and leprosy. Inadequate intake of nutrients due to food shortage affect the immune system and influence the progression of infection to clinical leprosy.

As we know, in Sri Lanka, low income families cannot afford to spend money on basic healthy food.

Total cost for the support needed over 12 months would be Rs 350,000, equivalent to AUS$3,000. ICI would be donating $300 per month to make a difference for these patients and their families.

If you would like to be part of supporting these beautiful people, you can make a donation. Your donation through ICI is a tax-deductible gift and ICI will provide you with a tax invoice for this purpose.

Total Cost: $3,000
Received to date: $200
Balance needed: $2,800

Project Location

Organisation Name

Imagine Compassion International Ltd

Country

Sri Lanka

Objectives

Supporting education at every level for children from very disadvantaged families -particularly children from leprosy affected families. This will be achieved through sponsorships and loans.

Build on our experience of working among leprosy affected individuals and other disadvantage communities and widen the support and rehabilitation work outside the Jaffna peninsula. We will fully support the Governments leprosy elimination programme.

Promote traditional livelihood such as farming, fishing, small scale industries based on the Palmyra and Coconut palms. These were lost and destroyed during the war and need resurrection.

Community Details

Sri Lanka officially eliminated leprosy in 1995, reducing the rate to one in 10,000 people. However, there are still about 2,000 new leprosy cases a year, with nearly half found in the western part of the country.

Country Details

Lying off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has attracted visitors for centuries with its natural beauty. But it has been scarred by a long and bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority in the north and east.

After more than 25 years of violence the conflict ended in May 2009, when government forces seized the last area controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels. But recriminations over abuses by both sides continue.

The island fell under Portuguese and Dutch influence after the 16th century. It gained independence in 1948, after nearly 150 years of British rule.

Commercial capital : Colombo

– Population 21.2 million
– Area 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)
– Major languages Sinhala, Tamil, English
– Major religions Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
– Life expectancy 72 years (men), 78 years (women)
– Currency Sri Lankan rupee