Two decades of rehabilitation work with urban leprosy afflicted being honoured this Sunday!
I got to understand Shiva's work a couple of years back when he came to me for a small report writing help. Shiva works for a department in the Government that is supposed to address the needs of Leprosy patients called as Leprosy Afflicted Persons (LAPs).
LAPs are those whom we see in the road side with severe deformities, completely isolated by the larger society and often not even noticed except as a nuisance. Most of them have been thrown out of their houses and live in very poor conditions in government run and a few private centres. Their deformity reduces their mobility and their movement, they need special protection and appliances to perform regular day to day functions. All these I learnt from Shiva.
Shiva realized that the typical government lethargy that invaded several departments also had its impact on his department, in this case combined with the marginalized and what was seen as a repulsive group to work with. His conscience didn't permit him to take a salary and not work. He also realized that he could not do all that he wanted to do for the LAPs within the scope his job permitted. So, he sought out a head of a prominent religious service institution to to request them to help him with the service. This wise person told Shiva, 'we will support in whatever way we can, but, it will be a lonely work, don't expect too much help from people or appreciation'. So, for almost two decades, Shiva has been working for the rehabilitation of LAPs in the process he has rehabilitated 100s of LAPs, grouped them into Self Help Groups, etc...His accomplishments which he states with utter modesty and much hesitation:
1. The no. of LAP SHGs that they have set-up has risen to 10
2. The state government has recognized the effort has declared this institution as a ‘model institution’ based on the processes
3. The state government has decided to send some of its people for training to this institution
4. The SHGs have repaid the amount given to them by banks as a loan ahead of the repayment period and touched by their sincerity, the bank had donated an amount to their fund as a grant
5. The SHGs today have adequate funds for internal lending amongst themselves and have said that they don’t want to apply for further funding from banks (this for me is very interesting and uncharacteristic of any SHGs anywhere, most NGOs don’t encourage the groups from stopping to borrow, is worth understanding)
6. Currently the institution has been conducting a weekly cleaning and dressing of ulcers for LAPs every week and about 60 LAPs benefit from this regularly
8. To treat the LAPs of their ulcers, homeopathic medicine is being tried out for almost a year on an experimental basis with promising results
9. With the participation of the State government, the work is now extended to two neighbouring districts of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram also
Shiva is a happy person despite several set-backs during the two decades, often he comments dryly that there are times he wishes he had more volunteers, times when he wanted to no longer continue because of frustration of the inability to save LAP suicides or change the society's view that Leprosy is no longer infectious and people don't have to run away from the LAPs...but, he ascribes divine blessings and guidance and support by the larger institution that helped him as the strengths that has helped him to create something like this in an extremely difficult urban environment like Chennai.
This Sunday, Shiva's work will be recognized when the Institution that supported his work, the Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai will be honoured by the Dr. Sanjeevi Award. It is an occasion to celebrate how someone from the system, working with the civil society organization can make a difference that is exemplary, a predecessor for the much touted 'private-public partnership' of today. Following is the invitation to the event, do attend the meeting where several Shiva's are to be honoured for their efforts.
I would have been ignorant of the fate of LAPs if not for Shiva and his heroic work and am proud that I could be of some small assistance for his work. It would be good to applaud such heroes as true representatives of the spirit of volunteerism in India.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UDHAVUM ULLANGAL
&
EKAM FOUNDATION
Present
Dr.K.S.SANJIVI AWARDS 2010
Sunday, 11th of July, 2010
(# 4, Crescent Avenue Road Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai)
Shri.V.K.Subburaj I.A.S.,
Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department
has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest and present the awards
Dr.V.Shantha
Executive Chairman, Cancer Institute (WIA)
Shri.D.J.Parthasarthy
Vice President – Sales & Marketing
TTK Healthcare Ltd.,
Will be the Guests of Honour
Comments