Vimukti Leprosy Colony

The Vimukti Leprosy Colony is hidden away in the center of Kakinada.  Years ago, the government provided land on the outskirts of town to establish a colony for those with leprosy.  
The town grew and now this colony is surrounded by the busy city.

Although struggling with the many effects of Leprosy, the people are happy and hopeful.

India is considered "ground zero" for the origin of leprosy. The disease dates back to 4000BC

Leprosy has affected humanity for thousands of years, and occurs more commonly among those living in poverty. It affects the nerves, respiratory tract, skin and eyes. More than half of the world’s new cases each year occur in India.
Although, Leprosy is not highly contagious, separating these people into leper colonies still occurs in some parts of India.

LDSC was able to provide 70 pairs of Micro Cellular Rubber (MCR) custom-fit sandals with Velcro straps for the residents of the Colony.

Sometimes it was difficult for the older people to get their shoes on for the first time.

They all were so excited to have new footwear that finally fit their deformed feet!

The government provides these people with the internal medicines needed to combat this crippling disease, but they do not provide the needed bandages and topical medicines to heal and ease the pain of the sores and ulcers that form. LDSC helped with enough of these topical medicines and bandages to last through a year.

Next, we went to work to figure out how to replace the roof and flooring of the outdoor dining and gathering place.

The old dining and gathering area was made of wood poles and thatched palm leaves. There were no fans, no lights and it was not stable.

Our contractor went to work erecting a strong, long-lasting steel frame structure...

and a steel roof, with a new floor and new concrete side walls.

Here is what the gathering area looks like with the final metal security screens and entry doors applied.

We decided to double the number of fans for the bowery from 5 to 10 to move a little more air in the hot months. Augustus and Penugula check it out!