KIT Blog

In Papua New Guinea, Rawali is a typical example of how poverty stops someone from getting the help they need… until someone like you makes it possible!

Rawali was 10 when she developed an ulcer  under her left foot. It wouldn’t heal. Instead, it got much worse. Was Rawali cursed? Her family took her to a traditional medicine man to find out. He told them it was a sickness, not a curse… but the medicine he gave her did nothing. They travelled to a skin clinic in Port Moresby. The doctor diagnosed leprosy.

Rawali started Multi Drug Therapy straight away. For this treatment to be effective, you need to take it continuously for at least 12 months. But poverty meant her family couldn’t afford the bus fares for Rawali to go to the clinic. So after three months, she stopped going. Then came the fever. Swollen joints. Nodules all over her body. Her family took Rawali to the clinic again… and she was back onto MDT for six months… before she stopped treatment once more due to lack of money.

This cycle continued for the next few years.  When her family could afford the bus fares, Rawali would get treatment. When they couldn’t, she wouldn’t. 

Eventually, she’d taken enough medication to be cured. But by then leprosy had left Rawali with a deformed foot. She walked with a limp. Her hand clawed. She regularly got ulcers on her feet.

But your generous support has meant a community mobiliser from The Leprosy Mission was able to visit Rawali.

Robert gave her advice on how to wash every day to prevent ulcers. He showed her how to put oil on her skin and what shoes to wear to protect her feet.

Rawali has now been ulcer-free for two years, preventing further disabilities… a great blessing for her thanks to you.

It was also through these visits that Rawali’s little brother, Vali, 11, was diagnosed with leprosy. But this time, the family did not have to struggle to pay for Vali’s treatment.  Because each time Robert visited the family, he brought Vali’s next doses of MDT with him.

This meant Vali got all the treatment he needed – without stopping. Because he had a mild case, Vali only needed six months of treatment before he was cured.

Meanwhile, Rawali has stopped going to school… even though she is bright and was doing well in her studies. “My parents dissuaded me from going because they were afraid I would be rejected because of the leprosy. So I have stayed in the village ever since.” Her marriage prospects are poor due to her disabilities from leprosy. Rawali feels useless because she can do little to help
her family.

“I am hoping to learn some business skills through the next Leprosy Mission PNG project, so I can earn a living and support my family.”

At 17, she is unlikely to finish school now.  However, through a new project of The Leprosy Mission, Rawali will get the chance to start her own business. She will learn how to run a small enterprise, develop a business plan and will be able to access a loan to get her started. Having her own business would give her a new source of income.

Because of your ongoing prayers and generosity, Rawali is now looking forward to earning a livelihood and becoming independent… instead of suffering from ulcers and unable to study or work.

And her brother has been cured of leprosy. With the right self-care training and support, he is unlikely to develop a disability like his sister.

Thank you for your heart for leprosy-affected people! You can continue to support people like Rawali through The Leprosy Mission in Papua New Guinea.