Turn tears into Joy in Papua New Guinea

15-year-old Faith and Kiteni both have had leprosy since a young age.

Their leprosy started as discoloured patches on their foreheads and limbs. They did know what it was, or what it could do.

Faith says, “My right hand became so weak I had to learn how to use my left hand to write. I had to endure the challenge of doing everything differently because of the disease.”

Writing left-handed is a daily struggle, but she keeps trying, because education is everything. She wants to be a Flight Attendant and travel to other countries.

Kiteni’s dream is to become a teacher, yet she stays at home in misery, missing school because her leprosy-swollen face makes her feel so unwell.

For years, their illness was a mystery, but thanks to support like yours, a PHACE (Preventative Health and Community Empowerment) team visited their community. They referred the twins to a mobile clinic organised. Both girls were diagnosed with leprosy.

The diagnosis frightened them, but they were able to start their year-long cure of Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).

Today, you can give children at risk from leprosy the life-transforming protection and care they need through the Leprosy Mission’s PHACE (Preventative Health and Community Empowerment) programme in PNG.

Because of the Government’s commitment to match your care, you have 5X the power to help children like Faith and Kiteni.

You can make sure that vulnerable children are protected from the threat of leprosy for life by sending your Annual Appeal donation for PNG.

Your vital support today will be multiplied FIVE TIMES:

• $50 will become $250 - five times the power to help PHACE teams and volunteers find children with leprosy, like Faith and Kiteni.
• $110 will become $550 - five times the impact for curing leprosy and caring for those it has harmed, like Faith and the hand she can no longer use.
• $500 will become $2500 - five times the life-changing difference to help communities become healthy and strong enough to resist leprosy, while reducing fear and stigma.

This great work among our leprosy-threatened Pacific neighbours would be impossible without help like yours! 

* The New Zealand Aid Programme supports the Preventative Health and Community Empowerment programme in PNG, Timor-Leste and Kiribati, so every $1 you give becomes $5. If over-subscribed, funds will be used where needed most.

You can also donate via Online Banking:
Bank: Bank of New Zealand 
Account Name: Leprosy Mission New Zealand
Account Number: 02 0264 0029018 05 
Particulars: 'Your name'
Reference: 'Supporter number (if known) or 'your phone number'
Code: AAP2026