KIT Blog

When Bijay’s parents died, leaving him in charge of four brothers and two sisters, he was just 13 years old. To find work and survive he and his siblings moved from their village to a larger town in the western part of Nepal.

When Bijay was 16, he began to find patches on his skin. He could not take care of his illness but had to continue working to look after his siblings. Later his hands and feet got affected due to leprosy.

Bijay is a Christian who loves to attend church. He says that “Jesus provided his grace to me, he helped me to provide and care” for his siblings. Initially a local church supported them.

Recently, a volunteer from the Integrated Mobilisation of People for Active Community Transformation (IMPACT) Project found Bijay. She recommended he go to Anandaban hospital for treatment. One of Bijay's brothers also has leprosy. He refused treatment and has left the family.

Bijay is now on Multi Drug Therapy and has had his hands and feet operated on to correct deformities. Daily physiotherapy is producing positive results, but Bijay is depressed.

His two sisters who are 12 and 14 are without his protection in a town. They are harassed by men with bad intentions. As he speaks, he begins to weep saying he had wanted to go up the hill in the forest to end his life. Staff and patients have convinced him not to and are providing counselling. The Leprosy Mission staff are looking for a safe place for his sisters.

Bijay says, “Nobody understands my problems…I feel let down…I have no money left to travel back to my sisters, at night I can’t sleep because of worries.”

Bijay still attends church, but feels God has forgotten him, “I feel no longer blessed by Jesus.”

Pray for Bijay and his family to find support and protection. Pray for continued recovery from the operations and that Bijay may find sustainable employment to support himself and his siblings. 

Thank God for The Leprosy Mission Nepal. Pray for the staff and volunteers who give tirelessly to provide services and compassion for those in desperate need.

You can provide love and support to people like Bijay with leprosy in Nepal and stop them suffering from this cruel disease with a little TLC - https://www.leprosymission.org.au/projects/tlc-Nepal

Your compassionate prayers and kindness are needed now for people like Bijay and his siblings.

Bijay needs your support to overcome the physical and mental toll of leprosy.

Supported by the Australian Government

The Jhapa Leprosy Reduction Project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Thanks to ANCP, this project is able to help improve the well-being of people affected by leprosy and disability in Nepal.