Augustus 2021: Sarangkot Foundation Newsletter (by Taranath Sigdel))

Relief support…. hope to live…

Lipikot community is about 9 km far from Kathmandu valley. 51 leprosy affected, disable, socially discarded and marginalize family and around 225 populations including old aged single women, disable and children are living at Lipikot community. Most of them are leprosy affected. After being leprosy affected due to stigma and discrimination from their own family and community, they gathered at Lipikot community from different parts of Nepal and having shelter at the land belongs to an organization called Shanti Sewa Griha. They cannot work and earn like other normal people due to leprosy and other disabilities. The community people’s life, food, medicine, shelter and other things are still depending with others.

Due to covid-19 pandemic, Nepal government has offered long time locked down in different stages. Lipikot community members and their family are being much affected and they were suffering from daily food and other basic needs. There was economic crisis and food shortage. Kathmandu was most affected by covid-19 in various forms. None any organizations, government, and local municipality were provided any kind of food and other relief support to community people. People have no any income source and way to buy vegetable, foods, medicine, cooking fuel and other things. The commodity price is being higher in the market which was out of afford to the community members.

National Leprosy Affected Welfare Association (NLAWA) organized the food and cooking relief support package including rice, salt, oil, Dal, hand wash liquid/soaps mask and cooking fuel refill to all 51 House hold of the community in financial support of Stitching Sarangkot, The Netherlands. All the hunger populations are benefited with great support and they are thanking to supporting hands and encourage to live.

Returning the lost smiles on face...

Ram Kumari Shah, 43 years old, Mother of 2 child was originally from Dhanusha district, province no 2 terai region of Nepal. While she contacted with Leprosy, she came to Anandaban Leprosy Hospital for leprosy treatment at Kathmandu. Her family, relatives and neighbors knew about she contacted with Leprosy. Especially in Terai region, people are less aware about Leprosy and they shows a lots of discrimination and stigma towards her after return from Leprosy hospital. She decided to left her own community and moved into Lipikot community, where many other her friends having shelter.

She got married with Bhola Shah. He is also Leprosy affected person. They both have multiple deformities on affected limbs due to Leprosy and being physical disable. Ram Kumari and Bhola works as a labor and frequently they get offer to work from the locality. It is very difficult to work hard, earn money and do regular activities like other normal people do for them. There is still challenging to run and care all family, offer the school expenses for children, to do self-care and regular fallow up of health checkup and treatment of chronic wounds occurred by Leprosy. Frequently they both should go to Leprosy hospital for treatment of recurring wounds. The life is not easy for her.
Unfortunately, the covid-19 appear in Nepal and government offered long time locked down. The markets, factories, companies, construction work and everything was closed. Her family were badly affected, the income source is closed and they were suffering from daily foods, vegetables, refill the cooking fuel and other basic needs. Her family did not getting any kind of food and other relief support from others but still seeking because the food was already empty.

She visited with NLAWA team and shared her problem. Considering them, the whole Lipikot community people has the same common issues and according to their need and request, NLAWA send a proposal to Stichting Sarangkot to organized food and cooking relief support program. Through this program, Ram Kumari and her family are benefited and very happy with the food package and cooking gas refill support. “ We were being hunger and seeking foods, the Stichting Sarangkot and team provided us food and other relief, they are as a god for us.” She added in her words.

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Stichting Sarangkot is een stichting die voldoet aan de regels van het ANBI (fiscaal nummer 8162.49.404).