Soccer-loving

Sameer’s THREE successful surgeries - all thanks to people like you.

Do you remember Sameer from India? Does he look familiar to you?

You may have seen him in a previous catalogue, on social media or even on TV! He was featured in 2022’s global campaign to “Make Ending Leprosy Your Legacy”.

Sameer originally felt the first signs of leprosy a few years ago when his left leg felt numb and he discovered a few skin patches on his body. He would also lose grip of his slip-on shoes while walking. His parents finally took him to a clinic where he was officially diagnosed with leprosy.

Due to the weakness in his legs, he wouldn’t go out and play with his friends. The frequent visits and follow-ups at the hospital meant he couldn’t concentrate on his studies like he had before. He was increasingly absent from school. He felt depressed and hopeless.

When Sameer and his family knew he would be receiving surgery and medical care from The Leprosy Mission (TLM) the relief they felt was immense. And like for all leprosy patients treated through The Leprosy Mission, it would be at no cost to the family – what a blessing! They all felt he would get “the best treatment and very soon he will live a normal life”. They had heard a lot of positive feedback from former patients of TLM.

THE LATEST NEWS! Thanks to the support of people like you, over the last year, Sameer has had three reconstructive surgeries to correct deformities caused by leprosy in his left hand, left foot, and right hand. The surgeries had to happen in phases, to allow him the time to heal from the previous surgery.

After the first two successful surgeries, Sameer was able to walk again and use his left hand to button his shirt, hold objects and even play board games!

After the second surgery, Sameer had initially expressed reluctance to undergo the third surgery (on his right hand) as the post-operative recovery is tedious. However, his family and the staff at The Leprosy Mission hospital successfully counselled him and prepared him for his right-hand surgery.

His surgery has been successful and currently, he is undergoing daily physiotherapy and selfcare. According to the doctors treating him, he should now be able to go on with his life with no deformity whatsoever. Praise God!

Sameer’s message to the compassionate supporters who have provided the funds to The Leprosy Mission so they can help him and other people like him is: “God bless you!”

Transform the life of one person affected by leprosy. Your gift is a package of healing and hope. It provides diagnosis, treatment with medicine to cure plus medical care where needed. You will have cured one person, like Sameer, affected by leprosy and helped them through their Multi-Drug Therapy.

Occupational Therapy

12965

$20

Help a person with a disability to receive Occupational Therapy so they can go about their day with increased mobility and ease. Your gift will help patients adapt to living at home, studying or working with a disability.

Reconstructive Surgery

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$250

Clawed hand and foot drop are leprosy-caused disabilities which can be corrected. However, not all surgeons and hospitals have the skill to provide surgery to cure this. This gift will ensure a patient with this surgery to enable them to move their fingers and grip again or to use their feet and walk!

YES! I want to help someone with my Gifts of Love!

I want to help cure and care for someone with my Gifts of Love below...

When you give a Gift of Love through The Leprosy Mission Australia, you will receive a gift card for the item donated. You can keep it or pass on to someone else to show that you have given it on their behalf. The cards do not mention the price of your gift. For Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas or any other special occasion, celebrate by giving your friends and family a life changing ‘Gift of Love’ on their behalf!

Choose and purchase your Gift of Love.

You will receive a card as a keepsake for yourself or for the friend/family member you have purchased the gift on behalf of.

Your gift goes to support people affected by leprosy overseas.

Donations

Expiry date:

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Send me a tax invoice to my postal address Cheque / Money Order Payable to The Leprosy Mission Australia Credit Card Please charge my:

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52 354

Australia

/ Order online: www.leprosymission.org.au

543 Privacy Statement –Your personal details will be stored on our secure database and will not be passed onto a third party. See www.leprosymission.org.au. If the area of need becomes funded, your gift will go where it’s needed most.

Gifts

When you shop online at our website, you have the option to send a gift e-card in an email or you can print your own card and give it to someone you love!

You also have the option to purchase a Gift of Love for someone in need as a recurring subscription, such as a monthly or quarterly basis!* This can be cancelled at anytime on your account.

*Website only My payment details: Send me a tax invoice to my email address of Love® is a registered trademark of The Leprosy Mission Australia and may not be used by any means or in any form whatsoever without written permission.

We will keep you informed about the impact of your support, other news of our work and other opportunities to help people affected by leprosy, which may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to receive this information, please contact us on 1800 537 767. When you buy a Gift of Love, you are making a tax-deductible donation to an actual TLMA project. The dollar value listed for each gift is an estimation of how much this part of the project costs. Your donation funds this part, along with other vital activities of that project. If we can’t use the money for the specific item you buy, it will go to an associated program. Countries that benefit from your Gift of Love are projects that you support in Timor Leste, Indonesia, India, Nigeria and Nepal.

Your Gift of LOVE will save children from permanent damage and disability.

In the past year, among the new leprosy cases registered in the Jhapa region of Nepal, it was identified that 43% of those were in children. This is significantly higher than the national average of 7%.

New leprosy cases amongst children indicates active transmission of leprosy in a community.

Your urgent gift of love today will help stop leprosy spreading. You will prevent permanent damage and disability.

The leprosy bacteria can attack the nerves in the feet and hands, causing them to become numb. Nasty ulcers can form, and fingers can ‘claw’. This not only disables a child’s activities; the stigma and teasing can become unbearable. You can stop this before it starts!

Educating school communities on leprosy helps find and treat cases early. Awareness for staff, parents and students ensures the whole community learns about leprosy. They understand the importance of treating children before permanent disability results.

Children can start treatment straight away and need not drop out of school. After 24-48 hours of starting the leprosy medication, they are no longer contagious.

But Arjun’s diagnosis came too late. The disease had already left him with devastating effects.

The fingers of his left hand had clawed, and he had muscle loss in his left big toe. He had not been to school for 2 years because of his condition.

Arjun’s father had taken him to various clinics and hospitals over the last few years. They tried different treatments. But no-one they went to was able to diagnose him or treat him.

Arjun was finally found by our partner Nepal Leprosy Fellowship (NLF). They were back in his area conducting screening activities. They referred Arjun to the local government health clinic. There he began Multi-Drug Therapy immediately.

Supported by the Australian Government

The IMPACT project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Thanks to supporters like you and ANCP, this project is able to help improve the wellbeing of people affected by leprosy and disability in Nepal.

$200

School Screening

13883

Educating school communities on leprosy helps find and treat cases early. Your gift is delivered through an awareness program to staff, parents and students. The whole community will learn about leprosy and the importance of treating children quickly to end transmission and before permanent disability can result.

He received counselling and referred to a self-care group. All thanks to the support of people like you and an Australian Government grant.

He learned how to treat his wounds by himself. He received a bucket to wash his feet and hands and petroleum jelly for self-care exercises. And a pair of protective shoes.

Now 18, Arjun has started back at school. He can now get on with his education and have hope for a better future.

You can show your love to another student like Arjun TODAY. Your gift will target schools with leprosy education, screening and contact tracing.

Your gift will find and treat students like Arjun so they can go back to school and cured of leprosy. Please donate your Gift of Love School Screening now, before it’s too late. God bless you for your caring heart!

The Jhapa Leprosy Reduction project particularly focusses on decreasing child leprosy cases in 6 municipalities in Nepal. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, and in collaboration with local health workers, schools participate in leprosy screening and awareness education. Teachers, school nurses, students, and the student’s parents, are included. Detected cases undergo comprehensive contact tracing and follow up. In addition, communities of previously known leprosy cases are screened to detect any cases that may be outside the school community.

Your shopping gives hope, healing and dignity to someone with Leprosy!

$30

Self Care Package

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A daily self-care routine is a must for people managing the effects of leprosy. You can provide a pack of necessities to cleanse and protect them each and every day.

You can give a life-changing Gift of Love! $60

$10

Beekeeper Starter Kit

12970

Cultivating bees produces honey for nutrition, which can also be sold for income. Bees are also vital for pollination of flowers, forests and crops. Help a person affected by leprosy or disability, and their wider community, benefit from bees by providing beehive essentials. What a sweet gift!

Hospital Laundry Service

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In hospitals, sanitary bedding and clothing for leprosy patients are essential and need regular changing. Your gift provides patients with fresh linen to help keep them comfortable, fresh and healthy during their stay.

Prosthetic Limb

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$150

Transform the lives of those who have lost limbs by providing lifelike prosthetics. Give them the gift of increased agility and independence to help them walk again.

Protective Shoes

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$15

Leprosy can lead to a loss of feeling in the feet, and cause permanent damage. Your gift will provide shoes to protect vulnerable feet.

“I am very pleased to support this initiative which helps a person to keep their feet safe and give them some freedom to be able to walk. A very worthwhile gift.” – Rosemary

Leprosy Reaction Treatment

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$200

Healing from leprosy isn’t always straightforward. Around 1 in 3 leprosy patients experience a complication called “reaction”. In severe cases, it’s incredibly debilitating, requiring steroid treatments and hospital stays. Your gift helps provide treatment and food supplements.

$250

Buffalo

11296

Your gift of a buffalo is a great asset for subsistence farmers. It can do the hard work of tilling the ground for crops and can provide transport as well as milk and cheese. That’s labour, food, transport and extra income for a family.

Walking Aids

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Support the load of those disabled by leprosy by providing a walking stick, cane or crutch. Your gift of safety and stability helps them back on their feet.

Goat

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$50

One goat provides much needed milk and cheese for a family. With two or more goats and training in animal husbandry, a family can have a sustainable income.

“People need animals and they are a part of God’s creation. Teaching others to help themselves and being respectful looking after God’s creation is how we will move forward.” – Alison

Piglet

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$800 $75 $10

Community Toilet Block

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Soap

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Piglets grow very quickly and are easy to look after. For people affected by leprosy or disability with mobility issues, pig farming is a viable way to earn a living. One piglet can fertilise the veggie patch and be sold at market for a good price.

Many communities don’t have toilets. Poor sanitation leads to sickness and disease. In particular it can affect babies and young children. Your gift can provide many people with a healthier lifestyle. It can lead to increased school attendance and improved work opportunities.

Providing soap is essential for the skin care and prevention of infection for people affected by leprosy. Soap improves hygiene and helps reduce the incidence of preventable diseases in poor communities.

$400

Accessible Toilet

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You can give the gift of dignity and relieve a basic human need for another person with a disability. Your gift of an accessible toilet provides a person with a disability a toilet, built for their specific needs, ensuring they can access a toilet near their home that is clean and safe.

Children’s Scholarship

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Healthcare Worker Training

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$200

Whole communities can benefit from a health worker trained in leprosy detection and treatment. Your gift will provide the knowledge a healthcare worker needs to understand and help fight this complex disease.

$1,000 $120

Healthcare Centre Renovation

12897

Schools often turn away children from leprosy affected families. The Leprosy Mission works hard to open school doors. Leprosy makes life in poverty difficult. Families cannot usually afford school materials. But your Gifts of Love help them afford a uniform, books and pens.

Student Uniforms

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$25

Enable a student affected by leprosy to attend and participate in activities at a Vocational Training Centre by providing a uniform. Properly clothed, they can fit in with other students. You give the gift of belonging.

“It’s always good to know where the money is going and I’m happy such a small gift can make a great impact.” – Anne

Healthcare clinics in Nigeria often run without basic facilities. No toilets, proper electrical wiring or secure roofing. Chairs, desks and shelving for medication are also desperately required. Your gift provides the essentials to operate and also access ramps for people affected by leprosy and disability.

Eye Surgery

12291

$100

Give the priceless gift of sight with eye surgery for a leprosy patient. Leprosy-damaged nerves in and around eyes can lead to blindness. Your gift will help restore their vision so they can see a brighter future!