Leprosy Mailing List – July 28, 2015
Ref.: (LML) Socio-economic rehabilitation: habitat for people affected by leprosy
From: Muherman Harun, Jakarta, Indonesia
Dear Pieter,
Thank you for the questions posed by Dr. Joseph Kawuma, LML 22-07-2015. Our objective is not to open up new Leprosaria, where people with Leprosy are in quarantine, isolated in lugubrious places, where their future is dark, as the night without light.
In our concept, we want to set up a community of people affected by Leprosy who are happily willing and enthusiastically agree to join our project called “Superb Habitat for People with Leprosy!”
Summarizing our concept:
First of all, we will select a location which is proven fertile, with sufficient water supply, a comfortable climate, and friendly neighbouring people accepting people affected by Leprosy in the project with the size of 200 Ha (up to 2 Ha per family), where there are no natural disasters or man-made clashes (tribal, religious or political), situated near a big city for marketing and a hospital for serious illness.
What we have in mind, is to empower the community as a whole, comprising some 100 families, carefully selected, who are deemed conducive, potentially capable to plant a vegetable garden ¼ or ½ Ha for their own consumption so that within 2 years, whilst receiving limited financial, and selected material assistance, they can sustain themselves (no more help from outsiders is needed).
1. Every family gets a simple and small house, a well with clean water and electricity. There will be one motivator, for every five families to diligently work on the field. One tractor is provided for each motivator to expedite cultivation.
2. An experienced and a fully trained nurse with an assistant will be recruited for treating wounds, injuries and for the early detection and treatment of the disease.
3. A piece of land is plotted for experimentation of plants and trees selected to produce highest yields of the best quality and marketing values.
4. Public and social facilities, as well as religious and security services will be provided in line with the progress of the project.
Before admission, all inhabitants have to agree (gladly!) to be trained and professionally guided by relevant experts to locally, produce the best agricultural products, livestock, fisheries etc. so that after 5 years they will be productive, capable to supply the needs of local markets with their superior produce.
Experts in local community development, cooperatives and marketing will further guide and assist on all details of the project development to be carried out in a sphere of mutual understanding and respect. We are used to practice open management with transparent accountability.
This kind of community empowerment project, which is unique in Indonesia, should be instrumental in the over-all rehabilitation of the physical, socio-economical, mental and spiritual conditions of the people affected by Leprosy. If successful, it may serve as a prototype for other organizations to apply community empowerment of people affected by Leprosy.
Meeting sponsors’ demand, the Habitat will also accommodate people with disability up to 20 %; whereas 10% is reserved for other most impoverished people.
Our plea: We are eager to give our best service to the people affected by Leprosy, deprived from it for ages.
Given the opportunity, our mission is: To help people affected by Leprosy to get back their trust in humanity, gain confidence and self-respect, eventually their basic rights and human dignity.
This, I admit, is a grand project, for which pertinent information is highly appreciated.
Thanking you for your interest,
Muherman Harun
Jakarta, Indonesia
LML - S Deepak, B Naafs, S Noto and P Schreuder
LML blog link: http://leprosymailinglist.blogspot.it/
Contact: Dr Pieter Schreuder << editorlml@gmail.com
