Action Edition 1, 2023

BIG WIN! The right to vote in Nigeria

Meet Aussie Leprosy Champion: Dr Jeanette Hyland

Cured Crocodile Hunter thanks supporters like YOU!

110 Years of Love, Cures and Caring – Bless You!

Thank you!

The Leprosy Mission Australia

ABN 52 354 004 543

ACN 067 616 193

PO Box 293 Box Hill VIC 3128

Fax 03 9890 0550

Phone 03 9890 0577

Tollfree 1800 LEPROSY (1800 537 767)

Email hello@leprosymission.org.au

www.leprosymission.org.au

The Leprosy Mission Australia ABN 52 354 004 543 (TLMA) is a member of the Australian Council for International Development and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct.

The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability, and financial management.

TLMA is committed to full adherence to the ACFID Code of Conduct. More information about the ACFID Code of Conduct may be obtained from The Leprosy Mission Australia website: www.leprosymission.org.au or ACFID’s website: www.acfid.asn.au.

The Leprosy Mission Australia is an international organisation that works in partnership with governments, public health officials, non-government organisations, the World Health Organisation, churches, Christian partners and others to achieve its vision of a world without leprosy. The Leprosy Mission is the oldest and largest leprosyfocused organisation in the world today.

The Leprosy Mission Australia complies with the Voluntary Code of Practice for Public Fundraising in Western Australia.

In the early 1900s, God was stirring the heart of a man called Horace Hannah. Described as “a keen Christian with a missionary heart”, it was through his efforts, and other compassionate people that The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA) was born in 1913.

Now 110 years later, the ministry is still helping those among the world’s poorest and most stigmatised people affected by leprosy. All thanks to the inspirational dedication and generosity of Horace Hannah... and the faithfulness of people like you who share his missionary heart... a heart of love. That includes the financial supporters, volunteers, field workers and staff. And people who pray and quietly share the work of TLMA in their churches and communities.

Together, with your prayers and generosity, God has been able to do more than we could ever imagine. Leprosy cures, research, and treatments. Teaching people how to care for damaged limbs. Educating

COVER STORY:

Thank you for helping young students like Ranjana develop their creativity, fulfil their God-given potential, and achieve their dreams.

Through the IMPACT project Ranjana has been able to attend a vocational training course in tailoring. She has learned how to sew many things. From dresses and shirts to handy re-usable menstruation pads.

“Peopleinmyvillagecometomefortailoring servicesnow,butafterfinishingmyexams Iwanttoopenashop.”

Thank you for transforming lives!

communities so they understand leprosy is a curable disease not a curse. Countless lives have been changed... thanks to you.

In whatever capacity you have served TLMA, you have been a blessing. Not just to me, but to the countless mothers, fathers and children across the globe who are being treated for and cured of leprosy.

We have come a long way in eradicating leprosy. But it’s now time to finish the job.

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s urging to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus”. He understood that despite having achieved so much in his ministry, there was still much to do.

That’s the situation we find ourselves in today. Our goal is for zero leprosy transmission by 2035. And it’s your continued love and compassion that makes it possible to persevere until leprosy is wiped out. In the pages of this magazine, you’ll see exactly how your kindness and generosity is contributing to this end goal.

I’m excited that together we can now work together to finish the race to eradicate this curable and treatable disease.

God bless you,

Zero Towards

Leprosy Discrimination

When leprosy leads to the loss of fingers and thumbs, you can’t vote when your electoral system uses biometric thumbprinting for voter registration. Thank you for ensuring a fairer and more inclusive voting system for ALL Nigerians with your loving generosity.

In a nationally televised event in Nigeria, many electoral officials and citizens learned their beliefs about leprosy were wrong. This is a step towards changing the stigma attached to the disease... so people affected by leprosy can turn up to vote without fear of discrimination or harassment. Your kind compassion made this possible.

Sheldon Rankin CEO, The Leprosy Mission Australia

Imagine if voting meant risking your life due to political violence and unrest... after walking hours (maybe even days!) to reach a polling station?

Now imagine having the courage and perseverance to face that danger and hardship... only to be shunned and turned away by electoral officers who are afraid of catching leprosy.

This is exactly the risk faced by leprosy-affected voters in Nigeria’s general presidential election this year, according to Pius Ogbu Sunday, the Head of Programs from The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (pictured inset on right).

Pius says to combat voter fraud, Nigeria’s voting registration system required biometric thumbprint scanning. This is a great advantage for many local people who are illiterate. But if you’ve lost hands due to leprosy or other disability, you can’t do thumbprint scanning.

This means you can’t vote. But God longs to make a more just and fairer world... and we thank you for being part of this change! With your kind support, you’ve been a key part of Pius’ caring and dedicated team. Together, we’re fighting for the democratic right of leprosy-affected people to have their say in elections. Here’s how your kindness and compassion has made a difference!

Thanks to your kindness... Pius and other Leprosy Mission staff trained people affected by leprosy in how to stand up for their basic human rights when speaking to electoral officials.

Thanks to your compassion... leprosy-affected people took action! They lobbied the electoral commission for their right to vote. This meant making changes not only to the technology required to register but also changing attitudes so officials were willing to conduct registrations.

Thanks to your generosity... Leprosy Mission staff trained electoral officials in the facts about leprosy to counter stigma and false beliefs. For the first time, they understood it was a treatable disease and that they could not catch it.

We still have a long way to go but bless you for walking this journey alongside faithful staff like Pius and all people affected by leprosy. As we celebrate 110 years of showing love and compassion, it’s exciting to see entrenched attitudes in Nigeria starting to change. And it’s your love and compassion that means the beginning of the end to their exclusion from basic human rights – including the right to vote and participate in political life.

TAKE ACTION! to stop discriminatory practices

Do you want to make the world fairer for people living with leprosy?

You can make a donation by filling out the form on the back page of the magazine or visiting www.leprosymission.org.au

A big thank you to God ... and to you for your missionary hearts!

“Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think.”

– Ephesians 3:20

As a faithful friend of people affected by leprosy, you’ve helped achieve a big win in the long-term fight to change the systems that discriminate against them.

You’re helping to create a kinder and fairer Nigeria

TLM founders Wellesley and Alice Bailey [middle and right] visiting Australia in 1913.

Leprosy cures, caring treatment, lives changed... that’s what your TLC can do

Just what does it mean when you give someone a Total Loving Cure?

Your kindness and love utterly transforms a life. With your monthly gift, this is the type of compassionate care you give:

TOTAL care and treatment – You help provide complete care for those affected by leprosy. It can be self-care to manage nervedamaged limbs. Physiotherapy to restore function to fingers and feet. Counselling to overcome the trauma of being ostracised. Training so people affected by leprosy can support themselves and be independent. All provided with the love of Jesus... thanks to your caring support.

LOVING acceptance and compassion - Your loving kindness reflects Jesus’s love for those most rejected and outcast. You help people overcome the inner wounds of being stigmatised, bullied and even disowned by family... thank you for your heart of compassion for these people.

CURE for all who need it – You’ll help stamp out leprosy forever by finding, diagnosing and curing every person with leprosy! Your regular monthly support is an act of enduring love... like the enduring love of Jesus.

The Integrated Mobilisation of People for Active Community Transformation (IMPACT) Project in Nepal is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) Thanks to ANCP together with your support, this project is able to help improve the well-being of people affected by leprosy, other Neglected Tropical Diseases and disability in Nepal.

You’ve given Bans a new life... in all its fullness! Thank you.

Your TLC breaks through for fathers like Bans

For Bans from Nepal, your TLC has given him love, care, acceptance and respect... all the things we want at heart.

You’ve helped show him love after he contracted leprosy while working as a labourer in India. When Bans discovered the patches on his skin, it’s your love that made it possible for him to take the Multi Drug Therapy that cured him.

When he suffered a reaction from the medication, leaving him with nerve inflammation and weakness in his hands and arms... it’s your kindness that meant he could receive loving care and treatment at his local health clinic.

When Bans was grieved at heart because he could no longer support his family or afford to send his children to school... it’s your compassion that

Your TLC transforms lives for whole families

Without TLC from kind supporters like you, Jadawati’s family would be living very different lives today.

helped him with a loan through a self-help group so he could train in electrical repairs and start his own business Now he can earn enough to care for his wife and children.

When the people in his community ostracised him due to leprosy... it’s your generosity that gave him the chance to build up his business and become the chair of his self-help group. Now people from all over the community respect him and refer repair jobs from fans to motors to him... and they greet him with 'namaste' in the street.

This is your impact through a Total Loving Cure – curing not only leprosy but giving a loving father acceptance and dignity.

When she and two of their daughters contracted leprosy, they could have been left for months or years without treatment, leading to nerve damage or even amputation of limbs. Instead, your generosity helped provide cures for them before they suffered any permanent disabilities.

When her husband with leprosy was not so fortunate and suffered a clawed hand due to leprosy, he could have eventually lost his hand... and his job as a builder. Instead, your heart of love meant he could receive reconstructive surgery at Anandaban Hospital. Now he’s back on the job and feeding his family.

You’ve given Jadawati and her family lives free from the devastation of leprosy! Bless you.

TAKE ACTION with a Total Loving Cure today!

Will you become a TLC Partner today with a loving commitment of $36 a month?

You can provide TOTAL care and treatment, LOVING acceptance of those most rejected and a CURE for every person affected by leprosy?

You can give monthly TLC to people in Nepal by choosing the Total Loving Cure option on the back of this magazine, call 1800 LEPROSY (1800 537 767) or visit www.leprosymission.org.au

When Jadawati needed to extra work to support her family, she could have been left with no options but to scrape by with the bare essentials. Instead, your kindness meant she could get a small loan to set up a small shop. Now business is thriving and the family has the extra security of her income.

This is your impact through a Total Loving Cure – curing leprosy within all affected family members and ensuring they can be self-sufficient in future. Your love has done this... thank you!

Dr Jeanette Hyland’s inspiring nursing career spanned decades and continents. Her work in Nepal meant she worked alongside many well-loved people from The Leprosy Mission in Nepal. She also helped set up foundational leprosy control and education programs in the country.

Now she shares with you lessons and highlights from her years of training and caring for people with leprosy in Nepal... and why she decided to leave a Gift in Will to this ministry.

A lifetime of caring. A legacy of love.

I became a nurse because I wanted to help people... it was my Christian faith that motivated me. My parents weren’t very well off and, in those days, nursing meant you got your room, board, uniform and a little bit of pocket money during your training. But I wasn’t interested in making money, I was interested in caring. Caring was the main thing.

Fighting the fear of leprosy

When I arrived in Nepal in 1969, leprosy was seen as a curse from the gods. It was something to be shunned. The workers used to go around from village to village and give talks on leprosy and encourage people to come forward to be examined, to see if they had any signs or not. But people were afraid to come forward. They were afraid to let their families know that they had leprosy. So often when people were diagnosed, they used to try and find another reason to come to the clinics rather than letting people

An Australian Leprosy Champion – Highlights from a life of service and love

1965 Reassessing her future

After the heartbreaking loss of both parents by the time she was 25, Jeanette spent three years preparing her heart to serve overseas.

“My commitment to mission had grown in my heart since youth camp.”

1969 Jeanette arrives in Nepal

TAKE ACTION with a legacy of love!

Will you follow the lead of Dr Jeanette Hyland and leave a Gift in your Will to The Leprosy Mission Australia? Just tick the Gift in My Will box on the back page and send it back with your details. You’ll receive the easy guide How to include The Leprosy Mission Australia in my Will. know it was because of leprosy.

I remember one teenage girl – I think she might have been 15 or 16 – was brought to our hospital in Pokhara by her brother. They walked for two days to get there and, when she was diagnosed with leprosy, he abandoned her. She didn’t have leprosy very badly, but the stigma was so strong that her family wouldn’t accept her back. She couldn’t go back home. She couldn’t go anywhere.

At that time, I was running a very small program to train local people (mostly women) in basic nursing care of leprosy patients in the hospital. That girl became one of my early students. She went on to do her nursing training and there has since been reconciliation with her family who are now very supportive of her.

Jesus loves people affected by leprosy

When I imagine how Jesus might see

people living with leprosy, I think of the words, “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I’ll give you rest.” He sees them as worthy as human beings. That’s also why I used to go out of my way to touch those with leprosy because they were shunned by their family and friends. Human touch to someone with leprosy means a lot.

The message of Jesus is love and acceptance and forgiveness and a new life. That’s part of The Leprosy Mission’s work as I see it and it’s why I have chosen to support this work with a Gift in my Will. I know The Leprosy Mission has integrity in the way gifts are used. Decisions are made seriously and prayerfully. So, I have confidence in recommending that you please consider joining me in leaving a gift in your own Will. It is a very worthwhile thing to do.

She began learning Nepali and working at a local hospital.

“I had recently completed a diploma in nursing education so I could be a nurse educator or tutor sister. I was ready to walk my new path... Each day is half work and half given to language study. Every day in the hospital we see dysentery, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, hepatitis, snake and rabid dog bites, besides all sorts of intestinal worm infestations.”

1976 New leprosy control program

Jeanette’s dedication led her to take a role in a brand-new control program. She was involved in the development of a new training centre and education program for other organisations (including The Leprosy Mission) working in the South Asian region. Her time in Nepal was underscored by the confidence of knowing she was exactly where God intended her to be.

“My major strength has been in knowing this is the place God has prepared for me, and in ‘belonging’… May the light and knowledge of the love of the Living God ‘shine’ from this place to more and more people!”

1993 Later life-changing contributions

Healing the crocodile hunter in Timor Leste… thanks to your kind and loving care

Felix Fernandez’s knack for hunting crocodiles with his spear has made him a local celebrity in Timor Leste. The 53-year-old (picturedaboveshowingoneof hisgreatestcatches) says he’s just doing what he can to help his community... because he doesn’t like the crocodiles attacking so many people.

1970 Leprosy teaching and training

As a hardworking nurse educator, Jeanette trained Nepali people affected by leprosy to serve and treat others suffering from the disease in their community.

“Teaching has really tired me out. I think it has been the mental strain of trying to think in Nepali all the time. When the classes were over all I seemed to be capable of doing was ‘flopping’ on the bed.”

After completing her PhD title A socio-cultural study of leprosy in Nepal, Jeanette returned as Director of the program she helped to set up. Over the years, she conducted leprosy workshops through many countries –such as Nepal – including training the trainers at Anandaban Hospital. She later served on The Leprosy Mission’s Australian National Council.

NOW Fruits of service

Imagine the lives reached and hearts touched over the course of her career of care… all made possible because of her faithful obedience to God’s call as a young girl in youth camp.

But one day after vanquishing another croc, Felix noticed his skin burning and swelling. He at first thought he was cursed because he had killed so many crocs. But his neighbour, a midwife, explained he had signs of leprosy.

With your caring support, Felix received urgent and early treatment at a Leprosy Mission clinic. Today he is healed, healthy and whole – the same hardworking family man his wife and four children have always relied on!

With over 110 years of Leprosy Mission supporters in Australia this may be the first time we've helped a crocodile hunter. But it just goes to show that leprosy doesn't discriminate. It can not only attack the weak – but the brave and the strong.

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Ways to take ACTION!

TAKE ACTION!

Thank you for everything you do from your heart of love and compassion. It’s such a blessing and privilege to have you as such a kind and generous supporter of The Leprosy Mission Australia.

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PLEASE SEND ME MORE INFORMATION

Gift in Will – The guide How to include The Leprosy Mission in my Will Gift Catalogues – I want to shop to stop leprosy

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Send back your completed form to: The Leprosy Mission Australia, Reply Paid 83988, Box Hill, VIC 3128. Donations $2 and over are tax deductible.

are so truly blessed to have supporters like you who honour the heart of God with your generosity.