Inspiring Stories of Your Compassion, Prayers and Gifts at Work

HealingHope

Surgery wasn’t an option … until you helpedWith a family to feed, young provider couldn’t spare the time or money for rehabilitation

INSIDE: Bill’s on-scene report from the Philippines! ☛

Nur Nahar Begum was just 17 years old when she was diagnosed with

leprosy. Unfortunately, the Bangladeshi woman was not diagnosed soon enough to escape deformity. The nerve damage caused by leprosy resulted in twisting and paralysis in her left hand, a condition known as “clawing.”

As the eldest of three children, Nur Nahar had to work to provide income for her poor family. She found a job operating a sewing machine in a clothing factory. She was a dedicated and hardworking employee, and the money she earned helped her family. But because of her disability, she couldn’t work as quickly as the other women in the factory.

Nur Nahar knew reconstructive surgery could repair her damaged hand. But how could she afford to leave her job and travel to a faraway hospital for an

expensive operation? She could be gone for months. Who would provide for her family? They could lose their home … or worse.

God’s grace provided the answer, when a team of ALM-supported surgeons arrived in Nur Nahar’s village. They offered to perform the surgery she needed free of charge.

Nur Nahar was thrilled — and things got even better when her boss at the factory promised she could have her job back once she recovered.

Two months after the surgery your kindness helped provide, Nur Nahar returned to work with a big smile on her face and two fully

functional hands!

Today, Nur Nahar is an enthusiastic and productive employee … and also a wife and new mother. And

she is grateful to you and other ALM supporters. “If they had not counseled me and my family and supplied me with free medicine, I would not have this new life. Many, many thanks!”

Her husband Faruk agrees: “I really thank you. You have done a great thing for us.”

Please continue your wonderful work against leprosy and Buruli ulcer by using the enclosed reply form to send another generous gift to American Leprosy Missions today. Thank you and God bless you!

“This is my hand,” Nur Nahar says happily. “I don’t have a disability now, and I can do my job better. Thank you! Many, many thanks!” Your support makes possible the treatment and care, like Nur Nahar’s hand surgery, that make life better for people affected by leprosy. We add our heartfelt thanks to hers!

If she couldn’t keep working, her whole family would suffer.

Spring 2011 • 3

This cruel disease is shrouded in mystery, but its painful consequences are all too clear

Buruli ulcer is a flesh-destroying disease closely related to leprosy. Thousands of people

— mostly young children in tropical regions of the world — are diagnosed with the disease every year. Your support of American Leprosy Missions is giving those children a chance at survival.

Buruli ulcer begins as a painless nodule under the skin. If left untreated, the nodule releases toxins that eat away at the skin. This leads to massive ulcerations on legs, hands, arms or other parts of the body. The deformities can physically, emotionally and psychologically scar Buruli ulcer patients for life.

“Deformity is by far the most important adverse outcome from Buruli ulcer,” says ALM medical director Dr. Paul Saunderson. “It often causes some degree of disability, which is typically permanent.

“Deformity and disability lead to stigma, discrimination and unemployment,” he adds.

In fact, people with Buruli ulcer often report the same social,

psychological, economic and emotional devastation experienced by people with leprosy. Their unsightly wounds frighten

neighbors and families who often respond with superstition and even rejection.

For now, there is no cure for Buruli ulcer. Its progress can be stopped by drug therapy, with surgery being the last resort. But plastic and reconstructive surgeons

are in short supply in much of Africa, and the treatment can be very expensive: Buruli ulcer surgery can require three to 18 months of

hospitalization. Treatment costs can reach $1,000 per person.

Your support of ALM helps provide those surgeries. But even more important for long-term change, you are helping train health and government professionals in the early detection and reporting of Buruli ulcer.

For more information about leprosy, Buruli ulcer and how your gifts to ALM are put to work curing and caring for people suffering from these conditions, please visit our website at www.leprosy.org.

What is Buruli ulcer?

“Deformity leads to stigma, discrimination and unemployment.”

You can trust ALM. Here’s proof!The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is the nation’s leading watchdog organization for Christian charities. When you see this seal on our mailings, you can be sure we are meeting the ECFA’s strict standards for financially and biblically responsible stewardship of the gifts you entrust to us.

For more information about those standards, we invite you to visit the ECFA’s website at www.ecfa.org. We think the more you know, the more confident you’ll be that ALM is a great choice for your charitable giving.

And don’t forget: We are in compliance with Better Business Bureau and National Charities Information Bureau standards for nonprofit organizations, too!

Surgery can give this child with Buruli ulcer a chance for a normal life. Your gifts to ALM help pay for that surgery.

An inside look at a project you help support in the Philippines

On our trip to the Cebu Skin Clinic, we had the chance to talk with several current and former

patients. Many of them traveled over an hour just to show us their various forms of leprosy. There were two young girls, perhaps 11 years old, who performed a welcome song for us. Both girls had had leprosy, but were now cured and sang and danced.

I made a special effort to shake each patient’s hand and thank him or her by name. There were two young boys who caught my attention during this time, Marc Jun and Jade. Jade had just been diagnosed with leprosy earlier that same morning. His father had had leprosy, and now he did, too. He had already developed some nerve involvement and his fingers had begun to curl.

Later, I asked ALM’s medical director Dr. Paul Saunderson about this. He told me that the

critical factor is the duration of the symptoms. If the symptoms of nerve involvement are under six months and a steroid treatment is begun, the prognosis is good. If the condition has been untreated for more than six months, recovery becomes

increasingly difficult.

I asked Jade and Marc Jun if I could take their pictures, and they agreed. Both young men are a testimony to the value of the skin clinic. Since previous household members had been treated here, their families caught the signs early. This is so important in the treatment of leprosy.

This trip was a clear reminder that American Leprosy Missions is on the cutting edge of leprosy treatment and cure, ensuring future generations are able to become leprosy-free. God demonstrated just how much He is at work through ALM. It was wonderful to behold.

God is at work through ALM

Marc Jun and Jade (right). Jade was diagnosed with leprosy just hours before I got to the clinic.

Spring 2011 • 2

This child’s right arm and hand are deformed by Buruli ulcer. Surgery stopped the spread of the disease, but the damage and scarring have left his hand almost useless. He is learning to write with his left hand.

Report from the Fieldby Bill Simmons

Philippines

Cebu Island

Spring 2011 • 5

How you are helping a

family stay together and a

community move forward

The life of a fisherman in the coastal towns of India is never easy. Yet even by those

standards, Subbaramani has had it rough.

But thanks to your kind support of American Leprosy Missions, Subbaramani and his family are overcoming adversity together.

Their whole community is stronger as a result.

Subbaramani’s wife died many years ago, leaving him to raise their children — including a 3-month-old infant — on his own. That wasn’t easy: He has to spend many hours at sea every day catching fish, and many more at the local marketplace selling his catch. Most days he makes enough money to feed his family, so he and his children were getting by.

But then Subbaramani started to notice odd patches on his skin.

A local doctor diagnosed him with leprosy, and he was sent to an ALM-supported hospital to receive the MDT treatment.

Today, Subbaramani reports, he sometimes gets ulcers on his hands from the rough work of pulling in fishing nets. But he still goes out in his boat every day, and tries to protect his hands and feet as much as he can.

He and his son were out on that boat one day in late December, 2004. When they returned to shore, they discovered the massive tsunami had hit, destroying homes and killing many of their neighbors. (Subbaramani was far enough out to sea that he says he and his fellow fishermen never even noticed the

From leprosy to tsunami, Subbaramani has survived it all

Shortly after his wife died, Indian fisherman Subbaramani was diagnosed with leprosy. It could have meant disaster for his young family. But your support has helped him overcome that challenge … and many others, too!

“We are fishermen. We had to continue.”

Spring 2011 • 4

tsunami swell passing beneath them.) His own home was washed away, but by God’s grace all of his family survived.

Subbaramani and his family, including his two young grandchildren, lived in a local school for a while, and have since moved into a new home. He and some other fishermen have formed a village self-help group. Together, they share a boat, and are hoping to buy a van soon to help transport their fish to market. Thanks to you, ALM has been able to give the group a small loan as part of our efforts to help survivors of leprosy become economically self-sufficient.

Subbaramani admits that after

the tsunami, he and his neighbors were nervous about going back out to sea. “But we are fishermen,” he explains simply. “We had to continue.”

It’s that straightforward philosophy that has helped Subbaramani and his family overcome tragedy after tragedy. Thank you for being part of his story, and for helping him in so many ways, through your support of American Leprosy Missions.

Your gifts provide MDT and other essential medical care for people affected by leprosy … but you help families and communities in so many other ways, too! Please use the enclosed reply form to send another generous gift to ALM today. Thank you and God bless you!

Nepal has, per capita, the second-highest occurrence of leprosy in the world: 1.5 cases per 10,000 people. In absolute numbers, Nepal ranks second

in the total number of people with leprosy.

Your partnership with American Leprosy Missions supports Lalgadh Leprosy Services Center, one of the busiest leprosy hospitals in the world, where hospital staff diagnose over 1,000 new cases each year. They are also acclaimed for their stigma elimination program, also known as STEP. People affected by leprosy find medicine for their bodies and loving care for their spirits. You are also supporting the physical rehabilitation program at Lalgadh Leprosy Center.

Because of Nepal’s rough terrain and poor roads, your gifts not only help identify and treat people with leprosy, but also help cover the costs of transporting leprosy patients to Lalgadh or other places where they can receive treatment.

Dhanybhad (that’s “thank you” in Nepali) for your generous support of ALM!

Word Study Country Feature“ I am carrying on a great project and cannot go

down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” … They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

— Nehemiah 6:3, 9 (NIV)

Spring 2011 • 7Spring 2011 • 6

American Leprosy Missions has chosen this as our Bible verse of the year for 2011. But why?

What does this verse mean for 21st century Christians, and for the work of ALM?

Here’s a bit of context: Nehemiah the Israelite was a servant of the King of Persia, who at that time ruled over Israel. Learning that the walls of Jerusalem were crumbling, Nehemiah asked for and received permission to take charge

of rebuilding the walls and making the people safe from attack.

By this point in the story, Nehemiah’s work was almost finished, and his enemies were getting worried. They tried to distract him from his work with offers and invitations. When Nehemiah turned down their requests (“Why should the work stop while I leave it …?”), they changed tactics, attempting to discourage the workers by telling them the job was too difficult and could never be finished. But Nehemiah ignored them again, instead calling on God to strengthen him and bless his work.

Can you see how this might have application today?

These days, it’s easy to distract ourselves from the work we should be doing, even without spiritual or physical enemies plotting against us. We can find something on TV or the Internet to fill our time, or give in to

discouragement or despair: “How could you ever hope to eliminate a disease as widespread as leprosy? Come on, be realistic.”

When that happens, believers need to just put their heads down, focus on the vital work to be done, and call on the Lord as Nehemiah did.

How would our lives be different if every time we faced distraction or discouragement, we prayed, “Oh Lord, strengthen my hands!” instead?

You are “carrying on a great project” through your partnership with ALM. This is no time to lay down our tools. Strengthen our hands, Lord!

Nehemiah views in secret the ruins of the walls of Jerusalem. Illustration by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

Like Nehemiah on the walls of Jerusalem, you are “carrying on a great project” by partnering with ALM. Strengthen our hands, Lord!

NepalFormal name: Federal Democratic Republic of NepalCapital: KathmanduArea: About 57,000 square miles (a little larger than Iowa)Population: 30 million (estimate)Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism

Fun fact: Nepal is the only nation in the world with a non-rectangular flag.

A mountainous land bordered by India and the Tibet region of China, Nepal was a kingdom for more than 200 years until 2008, when the king was overthrown and Nepal became a federal republic. Today, political parties are in the process of writing a new constitution. Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, is located in Nepal.

How your gifts reach to “the roof of the world”

Help fight leprosy ... and help yourself, too!There are benefits to supporting ALM with a gift of stocks or securities

Here’s another way to support American Leprosy Missions

you may not have thought of: Give a gift of stock or financial securities. Whether you give a gift of shares today or remember ALM in your will, you or your estate could enjoy some important capital gains tax benefits.

Speak with your financial advisor to see whether a gift of shares might be right for you. Or contact ALM’s friendly gift-planning department by clicking on “planned giving” under “who we are” on the ALM website, www.leprosy.org.

Thank you for all you do to bring healing and hope to people afflicted with leprosy and Buruli ulcer. Your generosity is making a lifesaving difference every day!

Thank you for your gift. Please make your tax-deductible check payable to American Leprosy Missions. If you have questions, please call 1-800-543-3135.

1 ALM Way Greenville, SC 296011-800-543-3135www.leprosy.org

HealingHope My gift to cure and care for people with leprosy and Buruli ulcerYes, Bill! I’ll send another gift to help cure and care for kids and adults with leprosy and Buruli ulcer. Here is my gift of: ❏ $25 ❏ $50 ❏ $100 ❏ $300 to completely cure one child. ❏ $__________ to help as much as possible.

My e-mail address is:_____________________________________________.

ALM

-140

Name:______________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

City:__________________________State: _______ ZIP: _____________________

✁ CLIP AN

D RETU

RN W

ITH YOU

R GIFT O

F SUPPO

RT

Meet ALM’s New President

ReStoRinG LiveS bRoken by DiSeASe, DiSAbiLity

AnD DeSpAiR in JeSuS’ nAMe.

From the President

Dear Friend and Partner,

The months since I introduced myself to you as the new

president and CEO of ALM in February have been some of the

busiest in my life. I’ve been on the go, meeting partners and

friends like you, and touring ALM projects all over the world.

If you had been able to come with me on these trips, I think

you would be very proud of what you are achieving through your

support of American Leprosy Missions.

The more I see, the more I am convinced that ALM has the

best plan and the best people in place, here at headquarters and

out in the field, to fight leprosy. More than ever, I see how very

important ALM’s mission truly is.

Thank you for your passion for this mission. Lives are being

saved — and communities are being transformed — as a result.

I firmly believe ALM is in the best possible position for

the work we have pledged to do — the work you endorse and

support through your faithful giving. ALM is a reflection of your

compassion … your hands and heart at work around the world. It’s

an honor for me to stand with you in this effort.

Yours in Christ,

Bill Simmons

President and CEO