The children have left Rising Star to be with their families for a few weeks. Those who are orphans are either staying with housemothers or with relatives.
Although I was in desperate need of a break, I do worry about some of the children. I've learned that we are not only dealing with leprosy, but also with the many attendant hardships: abject poverty, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, to name a few. Some of the children are not safe at home.
One mother told me that she had remarried, and that her new husband has threatened to kill her son from the previous marriage. That son is a Rising Star boy. I ensured that she not take him home with her, but leave him with a relative in another town. Still, I am anxious.
This woman's tale was so tragic that three times my translator wept and was unable to speak. Many of the details were lost to me. But I understood that both her husbands were alcoholics, and both beat her when they came home drunk. In fact, halfway through our conversation (which lasted two hours), her younger son burst into the room, sobbing convulsively. After he finally calmed down, we learned that he had searched all over campus for her. Because she was in my office, he had been unable to find her. He then concluded that she must be dead. His father had so often threatened to beat her to death, and now he thought it must have happened.
Women like her have few options where there are no living parents, no social services, and no money.
Despite all of this, I found hope in my recent visit to Bethel Nagar. It is the cleanest and best organized leprosy colony in this area.
A Rising Star medical team pays visits to a dozen nearby leprosy colonies. Routine tasks mostly include cleaning and binding affected fingers and toes. Nearly all the patients have been healed of leprosy, meaning that it cannot spread or harm new parts of their bodies.
Patients awaiting treatment.
I was eager to see some of our Rising Star kids at home. Nandakumar rode up to me on his bike.
Here are most of the the children at Bethel Nagar, all of whom attend Rising Star. We've got Pavithra, Angel, Gracy, Revathi, and Ansari.
Ansari with his grandfather. Besides the extremities, leprosy also commonly wreaks havoc on the eyes.
Ismail and his mother.
Revathi with her grandfather.
Cute Rutish with his mom.
And finally, a traveling stunt woman.
Although I was in desperate need of a break, I do worry about some of the children. I've learned that we are not only dealing with leprosy, but also with the many attendant hardships: abject poverty, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, to name a few. Some of the children are not safe at home.
One mother told me that she had remarried, and that her new husband has threatened to kill her son from the previous marriage. That son is a Rising Star boy. I ensured that she not take him home with her, but leave him with a relative in another town. Still, I am anxious.
This woman's tale was so tragic that three times my translator wept and was unable to speak. Many of the details were lost to me. But I understood that both her husbands were alcoholics, and both beat her when they came home drunk. In fact, halfway through our conversation (which lasted two hours), her younger son burst into the room, sobbing convulsively. After he finally calmed down, we learned that he had searched all over campus for her. Because she was in my office, he had been unable to find her. He then concluded that she must be dead. His father had so often threatened to beat her to death, and now he thought it must have happened.
Women like her have few options where there are no living parents, no social services, and no money.
Despite all of this, I found hope in my recent visit to Bethel Nagar. It is the cleanest and best organized leprosy colony in this area.
A Rising Star medical team pays visits to a dozen nearby leprosy colonies. Routine tasks mostly include cleaning and binding affected fingers and toes. Nearly all the patients have been healed of leprosy, meaning that it cannot spread or harm new parts of their bodies.
Patients awaiting treatment.
I was eager to see some of our Rising Star kids at home. Nandakumar rode up to me on his bike.
Here are most of the the children at Bethel Nagar, all of whom attend Rising Star. We've got Pavithra, Angel, Gracy, Revathi, and Ansari.
Ansari with his grandfather. Besides the extremities, leprosy also commonly wreaks havoc on the eyes.
Ismail and his mother.
Revathi with her grandfather.
Cute Rutish with his mom.
And finally, a traveling stunt woman.
I am humbled and awed by what you are doing. It is beautiful to see that your work can bring some hope to these children of God. I admit that reading your blogs reminds me how blessed I am and that my complaints and hardships are nothing compared to the people you work with. Thank you for reminding me that life is good and that there is always hope and beauty all around us.
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