Help Pravesh care for abandoned leprosy survivors in desperate need of food and medical support

When Pravesh Uniyal and Brijpal Rawat first visited the leprosy colonies of Uttarakhand, what they saw left them shaken. “Someone’s legs had decayed, some had no fingers left… they were in a horrifying condition,” he recalls. “Some couldn’t cook, some couldn’t even walk. Let alone having a daily routine—they can’t even live properly.”

Pravesh couldn’t walk away. He started Dev Bhoomi Samiti to help these elderly leprosy survivors, many of whom have been abandoned by their families and have lived on the margins for decades.

Unfortunately, he can not do it alone. Your support can ease their suffering. Donate generously today!

Donate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking. 

Charitable donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India).

I was just 18 when my family abandoned me

One of the women Dev Bhoomi supports shared her story. “She told me, ‘I was just 18 when my family abandoned me. I lived on footpaths, roads, under tin sheds.’ Today, she has just two fingers left in both hands. She’s been surviving alone for over 40 years,” shared Brijpal.

Across Uttarakhand, many like her have no siblings, no relatives, and no friends. They are forced to beg outside railway stations, on footpaths, or in front of buses, just to stay alive. “People are scared to even come near them,” Pravesh says.

The daily battle to survive

Many of the elderly patients suffer from extreme malnutrition. “Some have crooked legs, some have bent necks. Their immune systems are so weak that if we don’t provide them the right nutrition, they won’t survive,” Pravesh explains. “If Dev Bhoomi Samiti fails to provide these people with monthly rations or medical treatment, their life would be miserable.” The houses these survivors live in are dilapidated. “Many homes have holes in their roofs and broken ceilings. If we don’t repair them, they’ll be homeless—forced again to live on footpaths or roads.”

Why donate to this fundraiser?

• Monthly rations and cooked meals for helpless leprosy patients
• Medical care, including check-ups, treatment, and emergency support
• Spectacles, wheelchairs, belts, and other mobility aids
• Repairs of crumbling homes and shelters to keep them safe
• Emotional care to those who’ve been forgotten for decades

Only ray of hope

“They are helpless. But they are not at fault. A person got this illness, how are they at fault?” Pravesh asks. “There are so many patients here who can’t even cook for themselves. Some are paralysed. They need us.”

Dev Bhoomi Samiti is their only support system. And now, they need you.

“If we don’t care for them, provide their basic needs… they might not even survive.”

Your support can save lives

It is only with your support that Dev Bhoomi Samiti can continue its work. With every donation, you help provide food, shelter, treatment—and dignity.

These are our elders. Survivors of a disease that brought them pain, isolation, and abandonment. Let’s not let them suffer in silence.

“I request each one of you to donate. Help us give them rations, homes, and a better life.” Pravesh pleads

Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s most trusted online donation platform, to support Dev Bhoomi Samiti in its mission to provide foot, medical care, safe shelter and love to elderly leprosy patients shunned by society.