| BAPS Charities helps piece together Leprosy Camp
The World Health Organization reports that the global registered prevalence of leprosy in January 2007 stood at 224,717 cases. Though the global number of new cases detected has continued to decrease dramatically, at an average rate of nearly 20% per year, many leprosy patients and their families need daily amenities and moral support to sustain themselves.
On the outskirts of Dar-es-Salaam, approximately 30 kms away from the city is the Nungwe Leprosy Camp.
On Sunday, May 25, 2008, BAPS Charities volunteers visited Nungwe Leprosy Camp and distributed daily amenities to 100 families whose members suffer from leprosy and are unable to work.
The items distributed included the following:
- 300kg rice
- 1000 body soaps
- 108 gallons of cooking oil
- 204 toothbrushes
- 288 toothpastes
- 288 packets of laundry soap
- 100 packets of tea leaves
- 200 packets of salt
- 516 large bottles of mineral water
- 200 containers of petroleum jelly
- 300 packets of sugar
Also, 400 orphans were given 480 packets of biscuits, 420 bottles of fruit juice and 2000 packets of mixed candy.
“We are very grateful to BAPS Charities and their spiritual leader Pramukh Swami Maharaj for inspiring his followers to come and help us”, said Mzee Philipo Paulo from the Leprosy Camp.
A similar food distribution and aid campaign takes place every month. BAPS Charities volunteers visit and assist needy families by donating to several hospitals and orphanages. The organizations where BAPS Charities has aided includes the CCBRT Hospital, Ocean Road Cancer Institute, Buguruni Girls Deaf School, Kurasini Orphanage Home, Salvation Army Camp, Malaika Orphanage Centre, Nungwe Leprosy Camp, Uhuru Mchanganyiko Blind School, Mother Teresa Home, Shariff’s Kunduchi Centre (Mosque), Anand Marg Mission, Organization for Caring and Enabling Orphans and Women Under Chronic Poverty.
Various local publications including the local Swahili newspaper Nipashe, Mtandao and the English Daily Guardian have appreciated the affect of this charity work on the local community.
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