What a difference an education can make

The Leprosy Mission Australia
Dec 20, 2022

January 24^th is the International Day of Education. People affected by leprosy or disability and women from underprivileged backgrounds often struggle to gain an education. Through your project at the Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Vadathorasalur in India you can change this. You can make a difference.

Sowmiya, 18, is from a village on the outskirts of Manamadurai. Both of her parents are affected by leprosy. Her mother had to have her leg amputated and her father’s hands have been severely affected by the disease.

Thanks to supporters like you Sowmiya received a free place at the VTC. This was an opportunity her parents could never have afforded.

Sowmiya used to live with her parents and take care of them most of the time. But since she’s now at the VTC they are trying to manage on their own. She says, “I worry about them as my mother is mostly very weak and she tends to fall down at times as she has diabetes too.”

She adds, “Most of our relatives and neighbours also refuse to help them because of the stigma of leprosy…

… and it breaks my heart.”

“Everyone is gossiping in my village because of my parent's leprosy. But I want to do well in society, I want to prove myself. My family also thinks the same, despite all the gossips we have to rise above it, aspire to a better future.”

Sowmiya is studying to become an electrician, to get a good job so that she can give her parents a better life. Outside her course, she has a deep interest in English Literature, and she is learning to code too. She says, “I want to get a good, secure government job, and I am confident that I will get it.”

Pray for Sowmiya and her parents as they hope for a better future through education at the Vocational Training Centre. Pray for their healthcare needs to be met and for the stigma of leprosy to be broken.

Give thanks for the Vocational Training Centre and pray more students will find hope for a better future through this important education and training.

You can support other students like Sowmiya by donating today
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