Educate children from leprosy afflicted families

16-year-old Mamta lives in the Ashadeep leprosy colony. Her father who was affected by leprosy is now cured but her life has been far from easy.**Both her parents are addicted to alcohol and their regular fights** make it hard for Mamta and her siblings to stay at home. Outside the walls of her home, her **she has often been mocked for belonging to a leprosy colony.**Hope found Mamta in an unlikely companion, Kajal. **Kajal is a 16-year-old girl with dwarfism** who regularly visits the Ashadeep colony. She and Mamta became good friends over 10 years ago and travel together to school on Mamta’s bicycle.Both Kajal and Mamta are often the targets of cruel jokes by their peers. Kajal is laughed at for her disability and Mamta gets called names for being from a leprosy colony. **They survive each day by standing up for themselves and for each other constantly.**Their hardships have brought these two strong girls together. They look forward to going to school and creating a better future for themselves. While Kajal wants to be a teacher, Mamta aspires to be doctor. They dream big and work hard believing that there’s more to life than their poverty and alienation.

The 'Catch Them Young' program initiated by the Leprosy Mission aims to empower children affected by leprosy or those who belong to families where a member is a leprosy patient. The program realizes that such children may not be able to avail all facilities and opportunities that are otherwise easily available to students free of any social stigma. Scholarships are awarded to these children in order for them to continue their education. The scholarship is awarded to them once a year and includes school fees, books, and stationery. The program was launched in the year 1998 and primarily aims to support students who are pursuing higher education in schools, colleges, and professional courses. Donate to this program and help children from stigmatized families lead a normal childhood.

The Leprosy Mission was born in 1874 when friends of an Irish school teacher, Wellesley Bailey, and his wife Alice, promised to raise 30 pounds a year to help persons affected by leprosy in India. Since then, the legacy of their commitment and selfless work has inspired Leprosy Mission Trust India (TLM) to serve lakhs of people who are suffering from leprosy and its social, economic and psychological impact. TLM works through 14 Hospitals, 6 Vocational Training Centers, 5 Snehalayas (Homes for the care of the elderly leprosy-affected people), and various Community-Based Development Projects. Their constant endeavor has been to provide healing, inclusion, dignity and an opportunity for sustainable livelihoods to individuals affected by leprosy.