Milestones of St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society

St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society is a non-profit making organization, working assiduously towards the development of the lepers since its inception. All of us well know that Leprosy is also called as Hansen's disease. It is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. This disease affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. It occurs at all ages ranging from early childhood to old age. Hansen’s disease can be recognized by appearance of patches of skin that may look lighter or darker than the normal skin. Sometimes the affected skin areas may be reddish. Loss of feeling in these skin patches is common. We work with such persons nearly for more than three decades. We continue to work with these lepers and we take a sample of one such person’s skin or nerve to look for the bacteria under the microscope, and confirm the diagnosis.

The various measures undertaken by St. Joseph in this light have been laurelled by thousands of people in and around its targeted villages. The preplanned strategies, well implemented programs and neatly designed evaluation stunts have marveled every person who comes in contact with us. The donors and beneficiaries have been taken to surprise of its elaborate plans to develop and equip the marginalized and the deserving community. Ever since the foundation of St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society, the founders are very keen in undertaking programs and activities for the benefit of the downtrodden people in the villages of the service area. In doing this the organizers have been laying special emphasis on the welfare and development of women and children with special focus on the lepers. Over the years, we have developed ourselves as an organization that is totally devoted to the welfare of persons affected by leprosy and their families in the villages of Kalasapakkam block in T.V.Malai district in Tamilnadu State, India.

St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society wishes that all the activities and programs of St. Joseph’s reflect the vision of the organization that reads as “Transformation of communities that would accept leprosy as any other disease and treat persons affected by leprosy and their families on equal footing with others in communities”. Towards the realization of the above end, the organizers and staff of St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society do the utmost by way of training, education and awareness programs for different stakeholders to provide correct and complete information about all aspects of leprosy that include removal of misinformation and stigma attached to the disease. Some of the programs undertaken by St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society include programs on awareness creation, skill development, capacity building, leadership development, self-help promotion etc. In the recent past, St. Joseph’s Leprosy Patients Society has extended its activities to include general disabilities, mental retardation and cerebral palsy etc. as the prevalence and incidence rates of leprosy have come down.

TARGET AREA/PEOPLE: St. Joseph’s focuses on 45 most backward village Panchayats in and around Kalasapakkam Block of T.V.Malai District, Tamil Nadu

St.Joseph Leprocy Patients Society is a non-Governmental voluntary Organization founded in 1989 with the main aim of serving the cause of patients affected by leprocy and their families .The Founders of this society were Fr.Schlooz and Mr.John. The Main Objectives of the Organization is to undertake education and awareness programs aimed to spell out misinformation about the disease and the stigma attached that leads to discrimination of persons affected by leprocy that had resulted in many patients turned out from their homes by their own kith and kin and to serve the cause of the leprocy affected and the cured patients in as many ways and fields as possible in order that they live on equal footing with rest of the community members. In the recent Past STJLPS Has also been serving he needs of the other disabled persons in communities in and around the service area villages. Besides the above, the organization has also been working with Self-help groups of women in the villages .In addition, the organization has also been instrumental in the formation and maintenance of self-Help groups exclusively for the disabled .

During the Years of its existence, STJLPS Has undertaken many programs for the benefit of the leprocy affected and the other disabled persons in the communities it serves. The Programs are in conformation with the stipulated objectives of the organization that include awareness education on early detection and prompt and continued treatment, rehabilitation programs, Skill Development training Programs, Educational Sponsorship programs for children of leprosy affected persons etc.AS in the Previous Years, During 2012-1023 also SJLPS Has undertaken many programs and activities .The Following is the brief record of all the activities that were undertaken many programs and activities .The Following is the brief record of all the activities that were undertaken by the organization during 2012-2013 .STJLPS makes it a point to record its sincere thanks to sitaram Jindal Foundation, Bangalore for the Financial help it had rendered for charitable activities undertaken by SJLPS and to Godrej Foundation, Mumbai for its contribution toward the maintenance of the special school for the mentally retarded children .SJLPS takes this Opportunity to thank other organizations and individuals that have helped the organization in one way or the other .It is also befitting that SJLPS Thanks the staffs and committee members of the organization for their efforts in making things possible .

The On-Going Programs of the SJLPS as Listed hereunder were continued this year also . SJPLS Had continued to follow-up of all programs and acidities that were undertaken in earlier years.

• Participation in the health camps organized by Government health Department in the villages of the Service area of SJPLS by giving wide publicity to the programs with the help of Self-Help Groups of women in the Villages.
• Motivation of leprosy patients to contine the full course of treatment ,discussion about their felt and real needs and to help the individuals and families to take informed decisions in these matters.
• Health Education on Tubeclosis and HIV/AIDS , as the Two diseases also pose problems in society very much similar to leprocy.