Among the Outcast Reaching out to leprosy victims in southern India
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B Y S O N YA S V O B O D A
Although scholarly research has shown that the “leprosy” mentioned in the Bible was not the same form of leprosy we know today, the stigma that leprosy victims in India experience is much like that borne by lepers in the Old and New Testaments. At the first sign of leprosy, Indian victims are isolated, for fear of spreading the disease, and forbidden to associate or share belongings with their family members. In more cases than not, victims are forced to leave their homes; sometimes victims will leave of their own accord in order to shield their family from shame. They may go to a hospital to be treated and stay long-term, or relocate to a colony where other leprosy victims live. These colonies are distanced from large cities and from the center of social activity. The first symptoms of leprosy are lesions on the skin.
alk down any busy street in an Indian city and you will see people lingering on the sidewalks with their hands stretched out asking for money. Some are missing fingers, others feet; some roll themselves around on wooden planks attached to wheels. In addition to bearing the burden of poverty, these beggars also live under the crushing stigma of leprosy. “Leprosy? Isn’t that a disease from way back in Bible times?” many Westerners have been known to ask. Yes, it is, but it is also a present-day disease, and with its 344,400 victims India alone accounts for 70 percent of the global leprosy population. This is in spite of the work on the government’s behalf to provide free medicine and care via the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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Through further research, Anil found that the tragic undertones of a leprosy victim’s life were much darker in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Whereas in North India lepers who owned land were able to retain it in spite of their disease, in the south, anyone diagnosed with leprosy is stripped of all property and condemned to live on the fringes of society. Anil felt drawn to work in the south—to bring hope to this group of people condemned to desolation. Rose first met Anil at a meeting with her YWAM colleagues in New Delhi. Intrigued by what he had to say, her first question to him was, “Why do you want to do this?” Undaunted by her doubts, Anil shared his desire and Rose saw into his heart. Not only did she feel it was right that she marry Anil, but Rose also knew her life’s mission was to serve among leprosy victims. In 2000 Anil and Rose were married and moved to Chennai to begin their work. Anil’s first visit to a leprosy colony outside Chennai truly tested his commitment. “I had shared my heart with them, but it seemed they weren’t listening. They all just sat there looking at me while I told them my vision and how I wanted to help them,” Anil recalls. “After I was done they offered me tea. Around the room, each of them held the cups between their stumps, watching to see if I would accept the tea.” Most healthy Indians would never touch anything first touched by a leprosy victim. Until Anil accepted the cup of tea, the words he had shared that afternoon were devoid of any meaning. This colony and many others had been previously visited by various NGO workers, most of whom, despite their noble intentions, came once, asked questions, took photos, and never returned. They might send a single donation after their visit, but more than anything they left members of the
The disease then spreads, deadening the nerves.Victims in the advanced stages often have stumps for fingers and missing toes, but this is not a direct cause of leprosy. Rather, lacking feeling in their extremities, they are easily burned or cut but remain unaware of the injury, which then becomes infected. Infection results in tissue loss, and the body absorbs the cartilage, causing the fingers and toes to shorten. Insensitivity to pain puts them at great danger, and rats will sometimes nibble on their toes at night. In an attempt to get a handle on the disease, the Indian government has mandated that curative medicine for leprosy be free only in government hospitals. However, government hospitals in India are not known for good patient care and are not easily accessible for many citizens. Even for those who get treatment, undergo reconstructive surgery to restore movement to fingers and toes, or receive prosthetic limbs, no quick route to emotional healing is available. By the time victims have suffered the intense social rejection that comes with leprosy, many simply resign themselves to their fate, accepting the symptoms and stigmas as a way of life. “Many just give up on life. They don’t see any sense in putting an effort into keeping themselves clean or looking out for an opportunity. They feel life has given out on them,” Rose Bhasker says about the people she has worked among for the last five years. Along with her husband, Anil, Rose leads the National Leprosy Relief Work (NLRW), a ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). With their staff of 21, NLRW visits the leprosy colonies of India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, providing medical care, a listening ear, and loving friendship. The Bhaskers both felt a strong call from God to work with leprosy victims. Anil was serving with YWAM in Ambala in northern India, where he worked amongst the poor and the needy. Part of his work involved visiting the four leprosy colonies in Ambala. As Anil became more involved in their lives, his heart broke as he listened to their tales of rejection. He understood in a new way their helplessness and the great need to have someone work among them. A dream he had one night confirmed this call: He saw leprosy victims raising their hands in worship to God, with joyful expressions on their faces. He woke up and prayed, “Lord, I want to leave everything and work fulltime for these people.”
Left: Isolated in rural areas, leper colonies feed victims’ profound experience of shame and rejection. Right: Allowing NLRW staff to wash their feet and clean their wounds helps leprosy victims open up their hearts as well. PRISM 2006
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Anil and Rose Bhasker lead the National Leprosy Relief Work, providing medical care, a listening ear, and loving friendship to the leprosy colonies of India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. vegetables in the local market. Each colony has one store, and the vegetables can also be sold within the colony. “The root of rejection forms so much of their character,” explains Rose.“There is a high rate of alcoholism in the colony. Alcohol is a way for them to forget their sorrows for a few hours.” Aware that the deep roots of rejection do not have a simple, one-time solution, the NLRW team is constantly searching for ways to help each person they come into contact with work through their painful issues. In addition to carrying out their medical work, lending a listening ear to their patients, and seeking ways to empower them economically, NLRW has also established 16 house churches and has so far conducted five discipleship training programs, working closely with each participant on their emotional and spiritual development, giving them both accountability and friendship. In these ways NLRW has infused hope into the lives of many, and today they are working in 26 colonies, treating 500 patients a week across the state of Tamil Nadu. Their continued presence is evidence to the people of their genuine, life-changing love for them. The testimony of a man named Krishnan, age 75, speaks to the depth of that transformation: “When I was 16, I noticed I had a skin problem and went to the doctor for treatment. One year later I was referred to the Chennai Government Hospital, where I was diagnosed with leprosy and told to go the Leprosy Hospital. I was scared because I knew what it was like to have this disease. My family rejected me and for many years I suffered with rejection and loneliness. I didn’t like people watching me because it made me feel insecure and unwanted. It was hard for me to watch my body changing. I lost feeling in my fingers and they curled in towards my palms, and I lost use of them. “While I had been staying at the Leprosy Hospital, a lady found me a place to stay at the Calvary Leprosy Colony, outside of Chennai. I made many friends here with other members of the colony. As a leprosy victim, I made a strong decision not to marry. “The NLRW medical team began to visit our colony regularly and I met them. They shared with me about the love of God and how He accepts me. I now understand this love and have experienced the incredible joy and peace of Jesus Christ.” ■
colony feeling abandoned and exploited. Anil, on the other hand, not only drank their tea but returned soon after with Rose and the NLRW team, which at the time consisted of five members.Warmly welcomed this time, they returned to perform the simple yet meaningful task of cleaning the colony members’ feet. Not permitted to hold a job, leprosy victims are obliged to beg, a livelihood that involves many hours of walking. Because they walk barefoot but can no longer feel pain, the stones which inevitably become lodged in their feet eventually cause ulcers which, if left untreated, cause acute infections. NLRW started its ministry by making weekly visits to each colony to clean and care for the members’ feet. It is a gruesome task, involving scalpels to dig into the feet to dislodge stones and scrape away old, thickened skin. But for both NLRW and the leprosy victims, it is an embodiment of love and servanthood. Offering their feet up to loving care allowed the leprosy victims to open their the hearts as well, and they began to share their painful stories.The NLRW staff became listening ears, hygiene teachers, and encouragers for many in the colony. “Many have taken to calling me ‘Amma,’ which is Tamil for mother,” explains Rose. “I often go to the colonies and just sit and talk with the women, joke with them, and converse with them about their children. It means a lot to them that I would do this.” This kind of friendship outreach has had an effect on Rose’s heart as well, which has been broken so many times for them as she listens to their stories. In an effort to find alternatives for victims to earn a viable living beyond the spirit-crushing lot of a beggar, NLRW is organizing vegetable gardens in the colonies. Plans are in motion now to provide small plots of land measuring roughly 15 x 20 feet.Watering pails, seed packs, hoes, fertilizer, and some insecticides will be provided.The vegetables grown will be sold through an intermediary, who in turn will sell the
(NLRW is a ministry of YWAM Chennai. If you would like to partner with them through prayer, financial support, or volunteer service, email the Bhaskers at anilrose@myrealbox.com.) Having grown up in aYWAM family in Chennai, India, Sonya Svoboda now works as a research analyst for Geneva Global, an independent philanthropic organization near Philadelphia that specializes in international grant-making for private donors and foundations.
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