Join hands with Maria to stop leprosy in Timor Leste

Maria’s ten fingers, her two hands and two feet are vital to her survival in the poverty of Timor-Leste. Without them, she will starve. Yet leprosy has damaged her hands and feet very badly.

Her fingers are numb, which makes it very dangerous to chop wood for her living. Her only other source of income is selling the vegetables she grows. Yet garden work is also risky – her numb feet make it hard to balance and she will not know when she is cut, bruised or burned.

Leprosy has killed her nerves. She needs her leprosy cured, protective shoes, and gloves to keep her hands and feet safe.

But there is hope on the island.

PHACE (Preventative Health and Community Empowerment) programme has been so successful in Papua New Guinea, that we have been invited to bless Timor-Leste as well – and the New Zealand Government will quadruple what you give today!

The New Zealand Government has committed to match our PHACE fundraising, so every $1 you donate becomes $4, through the New Zealand Aid Programme.

Your kindness today can help:

• Find and treat people with leprosy and provide protective clothing such as shoes and gloves to keep them safe.
• Equip 19 communities to improve their own health, nutrition and hygiene, so they can ward off leprosy infections.

• Send out and support volunteers who can share the good news of how leprosy can be cured and prevented.