Please save Mohammad from a life of disability

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:13 NIV

MOHAMMAD Shahnawaz is 16 years old. He can no longer play cricket with his childhood friends. Leprosy has caused the fingers on both of his hands to ‘claw’ and his feet to drag on the ground. The disease has paralysed muscles in his face and he can no longer close his eyes. He is constantly bothered by the dirt and dust of the Delhi streets getting in his eyes. He is at risk of blindness.

Staff at The Leprosy Mission’s Shahdara Hospital treating Mohammad are passionate that he should undergo reconstructive surgery in both hands and feet. They would also like Mohammad to have eye surgery which will allow him to blink again. This will save him from blindness.

Coming from a small village in Bihar, Mohammad’s parents travelled hundreds of miles to take him to Shahdara Hospital for treatment. On arrival he felt the future held little opportunity for him. But having spent time with severely disabled leprosy patients whose injuries are beyond being corrected by surgery, he now sees a glimmer of hope. He has learnt that his disabilities – in both hands and feet – can be corrected with surgery. He will not go blind if he has surgery on both eyes as he will be able to blink  again.  Mohammad is daring to believe that he has a future free from disability.

Mohammad is motivated to earn a living for himself and wants to be self-sufficient. If he returns to his home village where his father works as a rickshaw driver he will have limited opportunities. He will face rejection because he has had leprosy.

It is  Mohammad’s plan to live in Delhi and start a new life. With help from donors like you, Mohammad could finish his education at The Leprosy Mission’s vocational training centre in Faizabad and receive job training.

Will you help Mohammad? We know that if you had the privilege of meeting him, you would pray for this young man who has been through so much. Please make a gift to support The Leprosy Mission’s Shahdara Hospital and our vocational training centres. There are young people like Mohammad who need help before it is too late.

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