Reaching out to children in India
According to the World Health Organization, WHO, leprosy is defined as “a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes.”
WHO estimates there were 212,802 cases of leprosy in the world at the beginning of 2008 and while many countries have eradicated the disease, nine countries, including India, still have a high rate of the disease.
Emily Bush, junior majoring in English as a second language, returned from India in Oct. after volunteering with Rising Star Outreach, RSO, a volunteer organization working to help those in India who have been afflicted with leprosy.
Bush said because of the caste system in Indian culture, lepers are considered untouchable. Doctors cannot treat leprosy patients or they are blacklisted.
According to their Web Site, www.risingstaroutreach.com, RSO is a three-part organization whose mission is “to help the leprosy colonies become thriving, self-sufficient communities.”
The first part of RSO is providing of micro loans to leprosy patients to start their own business. The other two parts, the parts Bush said she participated in, teaching the children and working with the mobile medical clinic.
Bush said RSO’s Children Campus currently has 180 children. She said 140 are children of leprosy afflicted parents and 40 are children from a nearby village. Because of the disease, Bush said this is the first time these children are able to get an education.
By mixing the lepers children with village children, Bush said they are hoping for things to only get better.
“We’re hoping these bonds grow and improve the community and India,” she said.
Bush said the Children’s Campus is located on 13 acres of land, and the new school opened in June. The children live in hostels on the land, one for the boys and one for the girls.
Bush said children range in age from 3 to 16 years old. The school is taught in English and the children are taught by local teachers, as well as volunteers.
“You have to try and give 180 kids as much love as you can everyday,” Bush said. “I’ve never seen any one who not only wanted love so much, but gave it so willingly. I learned more from them then I could have ever taught them.”
Karl Kirby, Bush’s brother-in-law, is the doctor for RSO this year, and travels with the mobile medical clinic to leprosy colonies in the state of Tamil Nadu. Bush said while there are 45 leprosy colonies in this state alone, the mobile medical clinic is only able to reach eight of them.
The mobile medical clinic visits each colony over two and a half weeks, bringing rice and food as well as medical care. Doctors treat wounds and change wrappings, and Bush says the volunteers help by washing the patients hands and feet for the doctors.
“More important than washing feet,” Bush said, “was not grimacing and being able to look them in eye. Look them in the eye, smile and show them love. The most important thing is to show these people love. They’ve been told for thousands of years they are untouchable.”
Volunteers can come for short term, a month or less, or long term, which is any amount more than a month. Bush, who arrived in India in July and left in October, said many of the volunteers are students in their early 20s. During the summer, RSO has four sessions, each averaging about 15 short-term volunteers.
Bush encourages anyone that is interested to volunteer.
“The days are long and hard,” she said. “It will change your perspective on how well off Americans are. Leprosy is not a thing of the past.”
To learn more about how you can volunteer or sponsor a child, visit www.risingstaroutreach.com
–kandice.crompton@aggiemail.usu.edu