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Reintegrating leprosy-affected, an urgent task

SUROL (Society for Upliftment and Rehabilitation of Leprosy Affected Persons) initiated in 1971 is now in its 42nd year of continuous, singular and unique assistance to leprosy - (also known as Hansen's Disease) - affected people in Sri Lanka. Unique in that it is the only free organization which is specifically committed to a concerned involvement with the post curative well-being of persons affected by this dreaded disease. Thanks to Dr. G. A. Hansen who identified the bacterium and brought specialized research to establish the remedial treatment which is the appropriate for cure of leprosy. This discovery also brought in a major change of attitude and realization of the urgent need to find ways of reintegrating and restoring the status-quo of the cured persons into the society.

Right medical treatment

A Belgian Catholic Missionary; St. Damien of Molokai worked, for several years with the lepers of that place, contracted leprosy and died in that Hawaiian island where lepers were quarantined in the 19th century. He was of the conviction that leprosy was a disease which could be cured if only the right medical treatment could be found. It is widely believed that it was his dogged enthusiasm and ardent persistence that lead scientists to pursue. Dr. Hansen worked at identifying the actual bacillus that caused the disease and the research which followed established the treatment used worldwide today to cure this earlier dreaded disease.

Many societies and foundations have been set up in the name of Fr. Damien in many countries to promote leprosy work and today since it has been found that the bacillus has similarity and some form of relationship or linkage to the bacillus which cause Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS these two diseases too have been grouped together and taken into their focus and purview as has most other organizations functioning in this field.

Socio-economic status

We at SUROL have decided to endeavour to further our cause and to turn to our donors, other people of goodwill and organizations to join hands with us and help us to encourage leprosy affected people and their families to embark on livelihood activities and projects to rehabilitate themselves and work towards the better life which is their inalienable right as human persons.

All donations made to us are tax free since we are an 'Approved Charity' and we do not specify the quantum of donation a donor gives us. Any donations, big and small, in cash, kind or useful expertise etc, is acceptable and welcomed and utilized responsibly for the purposes for which they are given. Our endeavour is not just to provide the needed fund as grants or interest free loans, but also to animate and motivate these people who are mostly from the category of persons regarded the poorest of the poor.

Community support

Through these donations we prevent them from slipping backwards to hiding themselves away from the normal community life and continuously depending on hand-outs from pitying and generous persons and often resorting to begging as their substantial means of sustenance.

While we intensify our efforts for fund raising, we have got to help our target people find access to the many local resources and know-how to work out self help projects of their choice. There are of course those who for one reason or another have been rendered deformed and/or disabled which makes it unreasonable to expect them to embark on any efforts themselves, nor have they family members who can take up a viable task to uplift their spirit and confidence and socio-economic status.

In such cases we may have to provide small though reasonable regular grants and other support which they can use diligently to bolster their efforts and upkeep themselves. Often such persons have to be helped along indefinitely unless some alternative is found by them or for them, and more often than not such needed support comes from the community they live in. This type of community support does not come of its own volition but is the result of the example of others, religious values, guidance or peer and leadership example, an aspect we try not to forget in our awareness and animation processes and programmes.

To successfully accomplish this work we look to sources in the areas close to our beneficiaries who can help and provide opportunity or find alternate resources that could give help or even possibly give employment which will provide in full or part for them to have more human lives. There are also other local charitable and benevolent societies, NGOs and private and generous philanthropic persons with various religious pursuits and faiths, ethnic and social backgrounds who are found in all parts of this country whose help we solicit to provide their support to join us in these works of charity.

- Sujatha Premaratne

 

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