Meet the faces of the Leprosy Insights Magazine
However, Halima’s mother became ill due to leprosy complications, meaning she could no longer attend school. Halima lost her mother at just 16 years old, becoming the sole caregiver to her 4 siblings. Darkness grew in her life, and her mental health started to decline. The pressure of being a young carer was becoming too much to bear.
A neighbour suggested that Halima speak to a Grandmother, trained by the Fansiski Project. The Grandmothers have been given psychological training to support people going through mental health struggles. This made a real difference in her life, giving her a person to talk to about all the hardships she faced. A person who understood her struggles and could give her the advice she needed to hear.
The Faranski Project was able to train Halima in tailoring, giving her a valuable and rewarding skill. She dreams that one day she will go back to school and train to become a surgeon.
Front cover - Halima's journey in life has not been easy. She grew up in Yangoji leprosy community, Abuja, Nigeria. She faced stigma at school, where her peers called her a leprosy child. Despite this discrimination, Halima completed her secondary education. She was proud of her achievements and wished to continue.
Jeanne at the TLM Learning Centre (TLM Centre d’Apprentissage des Metier Project Evik), Kuakua, Kongo Central.
Cover – A picture of TLM Learning Centre in Kuakua, Kongo Central. People with disabilities come here to learn, usually for 18 months. Here are the names of everyone in the picture on the cover (left to right); Claude Nzazi Tsuken, Constant Tsimba Vangu, Paul Mbongo Neka, Jeanne Umba Makuika, Mathos Mbuilu Nbumba (in the wheelchair), Prefiima Mambueni Babikulu and Adel Lukiba Bangulu.
Pg 2 – Attendees at the Global Forum of Organisations of Persons Affected by Leprosy. Here is a link to a Leprosy Insights Magazine article about this event: link
Pg 3 – Mathias Duck & Dinesh Basnet at the CRPD Conference in 2025. This photo was taken in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York.
Pg 5 – TLM Global Fellowship at the 150th anniversary of TLM in Delhi.
Cover – Ronaldo, Ofelia and Amalio (left to right) are Community Health Volunteers at Misaun Lepra Timor-Leste. They continue to support health outreach activities within local communities in their country.
Pg 1 & 7 – Lola, Renya and Zacharais (left to right) and Adriana (green shirt) who live on a mountainside in Liquica, Timor-Leste. They are a part of the Interrupting Leprosy Transmission project at Misaun Lepra Timor-Leste. (See the next page for more details)
Pg 2 – Albert and Rayleen. Albert now works for TLM PNG as a Data Analyst and Leprosy advocate. Rayleen has worked with TLM PNG for many years.
This is a picture of Amilio sharing his knowledge. Ronaldo, Amalio, and Ofelia provide their local communities with knowledge about leprosy, nutrition, health issues and social issues, and support referrals to necessary services. They also advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, helping them access services and assistive devices such as crutches and mobility aids.
On a mountainside in Liquica, Timor-Leste, there lies a small farm that is part of Misaun Lepra Timor-Leste’s project: Interrupting Leprosy Transmission in Timor-Leste. The people who tend the farm have been identified as an at-risk group for leprosy – they have been living with very few resources and have many mouths to feed.
The farm is tended to by Adriana, Zacharias, Renya, Lola and Pedro. Adriana acts as the matriarch of the group and speaks about their experiences. “Before we started with this project, we had done some very small farming, but we did not have the equipment and resources to make enough money from our efforts. Now that we have equipment and seeds from Misaun Lepra, things have changed. We grow corn and cassava and many different vegetables."
“We have done two harvests and sold about $100. We have put $10 into the group fund, and the rest has been divided between the members - $15 each." “Our hope for the future is to expand the business to not only grow vegetables, but to farm beans or chickens. The challenge we have is to buy the seeds, which are expensive. So we still need support from the project." “We’re hoping we can extend the farm onto another piece of our land, but at the moment, we don’t have enough water to cover all of it."
