Elspeth Kernebone
29 September 2024
An international mission hopes to remind Australians that leprosy still affects people worldwide, as it celebrates 150 years caring for people affected by the disease.
It comes with a call for Melbourne Christians to act to address leprosy and to pray for the mission’s work.
Leprosy Mission Trust India advocacy and communications head Nikita Sarah called for Christians to pray for the work of the mission.
Ms Sarah said the mission was dedicated to making sure that people affected by leprosy lived a transformed life, and that India and the world were free of leprosy.
She said India accounted for about 60 per cent of the global burden of leprosy, with about one million people affected.
Ms Sarah said the mission’s work focused on dignity and inclusion, alongside policy work with other disability organisations, or those working on neglected tropical diseases.
She said this included community projects focusing on social entrepreneurship, which elevated people’s position in society.
“In India, the leprosy mission is synonymous with the best leprosy care,” Ms Sarah said.
“It’s a mission that has been born in prayer, cradled in prayer.
“We don’t evangelize because the actions that speak louder than words. People ask and want to know,
‘What do you follow? Whom do you follow?'”
Leprosy Mission Australia international programs manager Andrew Newmarch said the mission wanted people in Melbourne to know leprosy still existed, and they had the opportunity to help address it.
“People with leprosy are some of the most marginalised people, and there’s an opportunity for them to be included in some way,” Mr Newmarch said.
“People are created in God’s image, and we would say that God wants people to have the opportunity to overcome disease and disability, to live functioning lives.
“We talk about ‘fullness of life’ as a catchphrase, but I think we’re really interested in people having some degree of fullness in their life, and we have the opportunity to provide some of that.”
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