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Determined to See the Good as We Fight Back Against Coronavirus

by Lexie Stallings | Jun 23, 2020 | Becky Douglas, Colony Development, Leprosy

The Coronavirus continues to run rampant in India. The numbers have continued to go up dramatically even though the entire country has been in a complete lockdown. In spite of that, the government is lifting the shutdown in most areas of the country. However, in...
A Styrofoam Cooler that Changed the Lives of an Entire Family

A Styrofoam Cooler that Changed the Lives of an Entire Family

by Lexie Stallings | May 19, 2020 | Becky Douglas, Colony Development, Leprosy

Experience shared by Becky Douglas. On a recent phone call with Padma Venkataraman, she mentioned that she had a surprise photo for me. She told me I probably wouldn’t believe she had taken it this week. She sent the following photo, and she was right—I could hardly...
Relief Work in India During the Time of Coronavirus

Relief Work in India During the Time of Coronavirus

by Lexie Stallings | Apr 6, 2020 | Colony Development, Leprosy, Medical

In India, the number one way most families get basic groceries and supplies is by making a daily trip to the nearest village market instead of a grocery store. That custom has been interrupted by the Coronavirus as it continues to limit accessibility to food and other...
The Greatest Poverty has Nothing to do with Money

The Greatest Poverty has Nothing to do with Money

by Rising Star Outreach | May 1, 2017 | Colony Development, Meridian Magazine

My friend, Padma, entered a home in a leprosy colony in Southern India. It was poorly lit but Padma could make out a lumpy shape in the corner. Intrigued, Padma looked closer and noticed that there were feet visible under the cloth. Could this be a hunched woman...

#ThrowbackThursday Session 4 with Lon Young

by Julia DeLeeuw | Oct 2, 2014 | Colony Development, Testimonial, Volunteer

We decided to take this #TBT to look back on session 4 with Lon Young and the Community Outreach rotation. Lon’s story goes straight to the heart, and we thought you’d love it as much as we did. We’re hot and sweaty, and we haven’t even...

Throwback Thursday: Bianca Merkley’s Grateful

by Julia DeLeeuw | Aug 7, 2014 | Colony Development, Medical, patients, Video, Volunteer

This Throwback Thursday we are featuring a favorite of Rising Star.  This video was compiled by Ember Hobi a volunteer of Rising Star Outreach.  You might recognize her from when her family took the challenge and Lived Below the Line (less than $1.50 of food...
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If one act of kindness everyday can make a differe If one act of kindness everyday can make a difference in the lives around you, imagine the better world we could create if we all accepted the challenge of being kind. 🌏 ⁠ Acts of kindness make their way through our communities, passing on from one person to another like good news. Share the message of kindness through your uplifting words and actions. ❤️ You can become the change you want to see in the world by making the simple decision to serve others with compassion and empathy.
One of the driving reasons the mission of Rising S One of the driving reasons the mission of Rising Star Outreach has been so successful is the deep friendship that formed between these two very different women of vastly different cultures. Over the last 15 years, this friendship has been tested, strengthened, and has grown deeper. Both women have witnessed countless miracles as the lives of thousands have been healed, helped, and blessed. And today, they have worked together to uplift thousands more during this COVID-19 pandemic. A belief in miracles is not required to see the convergence - the incidental friendship of Becky Douglas and Padma Venkataraman - as an extraordinary event, not to mention the courageous and compassionate service given by these two extraordinary women.⁠ ❤️⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ In honor of this influential duo, happy International Friendship Day! Click the link in our bio to read more about these women and the crisis that brought them together. ⁠
✨Provo Office Team Feature✨ Meet Lexie! She is ✨Provo Office Team Feature✨ Meet Lexie! She is our Communications Coordinator. ⁠ --Why do you love being a part of Rising Star Outreach?⁠ It is so satisfying to know that through my work, I am actually helping others. In addition to that, I love that I get to work with people who are so eager to use their individual skillsets and brilliant minds to empower those affected by leprosy and its accompanying stigma. ⁠ ⁠ --What are 5 random facts about you?⁠ 1. I love, love, love traveling! My husband and I are working on our goal to visit all the New Seven Wonders of the World 2. I love cooking and trying new foods 3. I am Texas born and raised but long to live close to the ocean 4. I love learning about people by listening to their stories 5. Whales are my favorite animal but I will definitely cross any street just to pet a dog.⁠ ⁠ --What is your wish for Rising Star Outreach's future?⁠ I want nothing more than to see Rising Star Outreach’s message of empowerment educate and enlighten people on a global scale. By continuing to share the stories of those we serve in India, we can have a truly positive impact on their individual lives and communities as the work continues to increase awareness of the stigma of leprosy and the people affected.
“In 1998, NPR correspondent Pam Fessler learned “In 1998, NPR correspondent Pam Fessler learned a family secret that had been covered up for 63 years: Her husband's grandfather had leprosy. Her father-in-law revealed that he had returned from school one day to discover that his dad had simply disappeared, taken by public health authorities from their home in New York to the national leprosarium of the United States in Carville, La. He was confined there for the rest of his life.”⁠ ⁠ The article quoted above was published by Utah Public Radio and is linked in our bio. It introduces Fessler’s book titled, Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice. The article also includes an interview with the book’s author that gives great insight into the disease and the Carville patient experience. She is asked a series of questions, in fact, one of them being a question Rising Star Outreach is also frequently asked by individuals with the desire to better understand the disease and its impact on the modern world: If the disease is curable, why do new cases occur? ⁠ ⁠ This Q&A is especially significant because Fessler compares the relationship between society and leprosy to the relationship between current society and Covid-19. She discusses the relevance of stigma and danger of misinformation. ⁠ ⁠ We encourage each one of our supporters to learn more by reading Pam Fessler’s enlightening perspective and research! ⁠
Leprosy is curable. Treatment is free. So, why do Leprosy is curable. Treatment is free. So, why do so many continue to suffer from it? The simple answer is also quite complex: Stigma. ⁠ ⁠ In many parts of India, lingering effects from a now-outlawed Caste System prevail; this includes the belief that leprosy is a curse and the result of past wrongs. The leprosy affected often live as outcasts in colonies away from cities, society, and educational/job opportunities. Rising Star Outreach’s community-based approach tackles these issues from broad social angles to face the stigma head on. Join our efforts in helping to empower those affected by the stigma of leprosy. There are lots of ways you can help! Click the link in our bio to learn more.
“What I remember most about taking this picture “What I remember most about taking this picture is the sound of this woman's voice as she tried to express the impact receiving this cow has made for her and her family. Even if there hadn’t been someone translating for her, I would have still understood the gratitude, excitement and pride that was evident in her voice and expressions as she spoke about her milk cow. This woman struggled to find employment due to her association with leprosy. It is because of the business micro-grant that Rising Star Outreach offered that she now has the pride and dignity of being able to better support her family by taking care of this cow and selling the milk. What I found inspiring about my time with the people from these leprosy colonies is that almost everywhere we turned we could find people who had a strong desire to live a full and meaningful life despite having a society that disregards them and often tells them they are cursed and the lowest of the low. I discovered that there is a rebel spirit among those in the forgotten leprosy colonies of India who dare to rise above the stigma cast upon them. They dare to rise up and get medical treatment to heal their leprosy, they dare to rise up and get an education, they dare to rise up and make a life for themselves. They dare to dream and then work hard to make those dreams come true. That's why I joined Rising Star Outreach. I'm drawn to causes that champion rebel dreamers who dare to reach for the stars that their society tells them are much too sparkly for their kind.”⁠ ⁠ -Julia DeLeeuw⁠ Marketing & Communications Manager At Rising Star Outreach⁠
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