Karima Has Hope – Thanks To You!

Karima first developed the symptoms of leprosy when she was 10 years old.

When the herbal medicine men couldn’t help, her grandmother took her to the state hospital where she was diagnosed with leprosy.

Her hands are a little bit stiff and bent but she was treated just in time to stop them becoming more seriously deformed.

For years she worked as a petty trader but the family struggled because of discrimination. People in the neighbouring communities stigmatised her and the ones in the leprosy community were too poor to buy from her.

Thanks to a Vocational Training programme of The Leprosy Mission Nigeria, Karima learned how to sew. She was able to start a new, successful business making clothes.

“I cannot believe people queue to patronise my sewing business today. I make clothes for able-bodied people who aren’t affected by leprosy; I make for both adults and children. During the last Big Salah celebration (an Islamic festival to celebrate one of the five religious obligations accepted by all Muslims) I made about 10,000 Naira in a month”.

But everything changed again this year because of the Coronavirus.

Nigeria locked down to fight the spread of the virus. But for people like Karima this meant no more work.

At the time she said “I have not been able to earn any money since the lockdown. Our savings are fast dwindling, children are also at home all the time and they need to eat. My husband is also stuck in the house with me, he cannot go out to engage in menial jobs to cater for the family. We are so scared because if this continues, we are doomed!”

Thanks to you The Leprosy in Nigeria are able to help. They are distributing soap, hand sanitizer and face masks to famies affected by leprosy, to help protect them from the disease.

And they are distributing food and water to families like Karima’s so that they can survive the lockdown. As lock down eases she will be able to start her sewing business again to provide for her family.

You have given hope! Thank You.