Praise the LORD, O my soul ... who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103: 2-4
Sanjaya is only 17, but has already been through more difficulty and hardship than many people face in a lifetime. His story is one of pain and rejection, but also of hope and purpose. He is currently living at The Leprosy Mission’s Anandaban hospital in Nepal, and explains how he came to be here.
‘My mother brought me to Kathmandu to work in someone’s home when I was 13 years old. The man I worked for was a drunkard, one day he beat me very badly and so I ran away and got lost. A retired army person found me. He took me to his home and I worked as a servant there.’
Not only did this man give Sanjaya a home and a job, he also recognised the symptoms of leprosy. ‘I had a patch on my knee and a swelling of the foot, so the man suspected and took me to Patan’. Patan is the clinic run by Anandaban staff once a week. Sanjaya has now completed a course of multidrug therapy, the cure for leprosy, and is currently being treated for leprosy reaction.
Overcoming fear
Leprosy can be devastating not only to the body, but also to a person’s emotional state. Staff at Anandaban take time to talk to patients, listening to their fears and explaining the reality of their condition. This helps patients understand their illness and how to cope, overcoming fear and bringing hope for the future. Sanjaya says, ‘The counsellor gave counselling to me. Previously I didn’t know leprosy was curable. I learnt leprosy is due to bacteria and that you have to take care of your hands and feet.’
Working towards a better future
At Anandaban hospital, Sanjaya is being cared for medically and emotionally. But even better, he has found a purpose. Sanjaya helps care for the hospital’s pigs and also does some cleaning, for which he is paid a small amount of money. This salary is important, and he is saving for the day when he leaves the hospital to make his own way in the world. But perhaps more precious is the knowledge that he is useful and valued. Sanjaya really enjoys his work, and explains a typical day.
‘Every morning I collect all the waste food and take it to the pig house. I come down to the hospital and take my medication, then I go back and sweep the floor. After lunch I get the waste food, then I cook and boil all the food and help feed the pigs. With the money I’ve bought a radio, a bag and sometimes I buy clothes.’
In the afternoon Sanjaya plays with the other boys at Anandaban, usually a Nepali board game called Karam. Sanjaya had become used to being rejected and unloved, but here he has found a new, supportive, inclusive family.
If you are able to support our work at Anandaban, you will be a part of crowning people affected by leprosy with love and compassion, dignity and purpose. Please consider a gift today – whatever you can afford will be a true blessing.
Yours sincerely
Jean Jones
Head of Fundraising
P.S. If you’d like to know more about Sanjaya, we have a DVD available which tells his story. To request a
copy, contact us by email or call +44 (0) 1733 370505
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