SEE HOW WE ARE BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE

LEPROSY CRISIS IN INDIA

Imagine having a disease that negatively impacted every aspect of your life in a major way.
If the cure to that disease were available and free, could anything stop you from seeking it?

Leprosy is curable. The treatment has been available for free since 1995, yet, over 200,000 new cases of leprosy have been reported since 2015.

So, why is leprosy not actually eliminated? Why do so many continue to suffer from it?

The simple answer is also incredibly 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.

WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST

The number of new leprosy cases in India by the end of 2016

The estimated number of Indians now permanently disfigured by leprosy

The estimated number of leprosy colonies within India, today

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY LEPROSY STILL EXISTS

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody.”

– Mother Teresa

SOLUTIONS IN ACTION

Rising Star Outreach empowers individuals and families to rise above the stigma associated with leprosy and to live healthy, productive lives through quality education, medical care, and community development.

Our programs empower leprosy-affected individuals to develop sustainability in their colonies, and eliminate the stigma of leprosy in the communities that surround them.

The results we’re seeing are powerful and encouraging. There’s much more to do. Through people like you, these programs become lasting solutions to an ancient problem.

SEE HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION

OUR IMPACT THROUGH

MEDICAL CARE

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Of the 6,681 people that were screened for leprosy, 70 new cases were discovered. All patients were treated.

Our medical program provides treatment and support for people living with the deforming and debilitating effects of this terrible disease. Below are some of the treatments and care provided by Rising Star from April 2016 thru March 2017:

leprosy colonies with access to our care

Leprosy Screenings

other treatments

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OUR IMPACT THROUGH

COLONY DEVELOPMENT

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Repayment of Micro-Finance Loans.

Rising Star Outreach helps facilitate infrastructure, growth, and community development within India’s leprosy colonies. In 2022,

Micro Finance Loans

self-help groups empowered

clean water projects

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OUR IMPACT THROUGH

EDUCATION

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Repayment of Perpetual Education Grants

One of the fastest and most effective ways to overcome the stigma associated with leprosy is education.

Students K thru 12th Grade currently enrolled

Class of 2022 Graduates

Perpetual Education Grants

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MEET JENNIFER

Jennifer was just a toddler when she began to show the signs and symptoms of leprosy. Discarded and abandoned by her parents as a baby, she was rescued by her grandfather even though he was suffering severe effects from leprosy. He was determined that she have a better life, and so he entrusted Jennifer to our care.

Luckily for Jennifer, the leprosy was caught early, so she was easily cured with just one packet of a multi-drug therapy. It is heartbreaking to think what would have become of her life without the intervention of her grandfather and that one packet of medicine.

Now Jennifer is getting ready to graduate this year. She is hoping to get one of the medical scholarships offered to our students who qualify for medical school. She wants to be an eye surgeon so that she can treat the many leprosy patients who suffer from eye problems – just like her grandfather.