Page 28 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
Reaching Out to the Least of These
28
PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2024
presbyterian.ca
By Guy Smagghe, PWS&D Director
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with lep- rosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are will- ing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy (Mat- thew 8:1–3 NIV).
PWS&D works with partners who seek to reach out to the “least of these.” I interpret that as “the most marginalized, most left behind” people in society. I just recently returned from Nepal, where this was confirmed over and over again by our partner, International Nepal Fellowship (INF). Together, we went to the most remote places, where we saw how they reach out to those affected by leprosy, people with disabilities, and those who lost
The men’s leprosy ward at the Shining Hospital in Nepal.
poorest of environments, where people’s immune systems are weak due to malnourishment and poverty. All treatments through INF are free for those diagnosed with leprosy. The hospital staff also train government funded com- munity health workers to identify cases of leprosy in communities and to do contact tracing to pre- vent fur ther spread of the disease.
At the Shining Hospital, there is a ward for women and another ward for male patients. We visited both and interacted with patients. An old woman had lost all her fin- gers and all her toes as she had leprosy at a younger age when treatments were not so readily available. A man showed us the blisters he had on his feet after walking for days to get to the hos- pital to seek treatment.
Leprosy treatments can take time and it could be many months before a patient is released from the hospital. Patients form a small community during their time at
the hospital. They gather to wash the affected areas of their bodies in the courtyard of the hospital, which also provides an opportu- nity to get some natural light ex- posure, some fresh air and a time of fellowship. Many of the pa- tients we met had beaming smiles on their faces. They were happy to see us and were so grateful for the care being provided to them.
INF is a Christian organization working in a largely non-Christian society. The staff we met were all so motivated and dedicated to their work, wanting to walk in Jesus’ footsteps to bring back dignity to the lives of those who need a “hand up.” It was obvi- ous that they were all “willing,” as Jesus was, to help overcome the afflictions of the “least of these.” Having witnessed how INF goes about their work, I felt comforted in knowing that we have a strong partner in Nepal, and that together we are making a significant differ- ence where it most matters.
everything during recent earth- quakes. In every case, they were working hard at helping people be better equipped to face life’s chal- lenges—with new opportunities for livelihoods too.
Nepalgunj is a town located near the border with India in western Nepal where PWS&D suppor ts an INF leprosy program. Leprosy is a bacterial skin condition. For most of us, our immune systems pro- tect us from those bacteria, but in places with extreme poverty, peo-
ple are vulnerable to it, and it can spread in communities.
Leprosy can be treated when diagnosed early. But a late diagno- sis can create significant damage and may result in amputations of toes, fingers, or feet and hands. Nowadays, people who think they might have leprosy will seek at- tention from health facilities like the Shining Hospital in Nepalgunj, which has the expertise to diag- nose and treat leprosy.
Leprosy only occurs in the
Women Working Together in Nepal
A woman from the self-help groups shows their record books.
By Theresa McDonald Lee, PWS&D committee co-convener
In February 2023, Theresa trav- elled with PWS&D staff members Maria Carmona and Guy Smag- ghe to visit the work the church is supporting in Nepal.
In late February, I was in the rural district of Kalikot, on the nor th- western side of Nepal. Reaching this community took nearly 14 bumpy hours in a Mahindra Scor- pio. This is a remote and poor area of Nepal, where farming is pre- carious and many must migrate seasonally to India for work. I was as far away from home as I had
ever been, but as I was sitting on the other side of the world, I was reminded of my grandmother and her friends from Glencoe Presby- terian Church in Glencoe, Ont.
For I was sitting in a circle of mostly women, who were par t of a new self-help group that was determined to improve the lives of everyone in their community. Community mobilizers from Inter- national Fellowship Nepal (INF), a par tner of PWS&D, had brought the group together. This is one part of a larger project addressing cli- mate change adaptation and dis- aster risk reduction. With suppor t and encouragement from INF staff, this self-help group was beginning to consider how to make change.
The women proudly showed us their meeting minutes and their fi- nancial record books. They shared their concerns for the community, which included drought, land- slides, climate change and lack of income sources. They spoke of collecting wastewater for their kitchen gardens, about soil test- ing to determine the best crops for their region and learning to use their new disaster assistance kits. The women, in the face of great challenge, are acting together to encourage education, plant trees,
grow food, improve their income through small loans, prepare for disaster and create a healthy community.
One woman said, “One person cannot make a plan, but together we can do it.”
This is why I was reminded of my grandmother and the women in my home congregation. Much like the women in Kalikot, they were rural women who found voice and action in meeting to- gether as the WMS, the Women’s
Institute and the Willing Workers. They shared their concerns and acted together, improving the lives of the people in their commu- nity and around the world. They worked to look after the children in the community, improve food safety and security, and raised and shared thousands of dollars over the decades.
I felt tremendous hope sitting with the women of Kalikot, as I know that committed women can create change that lasts. PWS&D,
working with INF-Nepal, is help- ing to provide the funding for the project in Kalikot. We visited just one self-help group, but through- out this vast region, there are 45 groups, with over 1,100 mem- bers. Each of those groups are being energized and supported by donations from Canada that will help them to respond to disaster and climate change, while help- ing their families and community thrive. It will not be easy, but to- gether, they can do it.
The author (far right) with a women’s self-help group in Kalikot, Nepal.