The toilets for the Five-Guaranteed Households in Luding were designed and built by the local government, unfortunately the design was defective and the toilets became badly clogged creating serious hygiene and environmental issues.  In addition the design of the toilet was unsuitable in view of the disabilities suffered by the PALS.   

With generous support from The Henley Group and Mr. Jonathan Van Smit, the toilets were redesigned and refurbished in December, 2012.  The toilets now have anti-slip tiles, a safety rail and are equipped with flushing water and running tap water.  The households elected a person to be in charge of the cleaning and management of the toilet.   

Each quarter Dr. Theresia Liem visits the far flung villages in The Project to monitor activities and ensure that proper protocol is used for treating PALS.  On her last trip she spent a week in November/ December 2012 visiting 4 villages Luding, Ganluo, Xide, and Puge.

During the trip Dr. Liem and the staff also conducted a survey of the families in Xide with malnourished children.  On Dr. Liem’s last visit she noted that malnutrition among the children a significant problem there.  The Project is initiating a program to work with the villagers to help them provide better nutrition for their children and nutrition education for the parents.

Treatment and prevention of disabilities is one of the main tenants of The Project.  Our staff in Xichang visit all the villages on a regular basis, providing training and medical assistance to villagers.  During the last quarter of 2012 staff spent 39 days making 13 visits to the 9 villages.

Village healthcare workers were replenished with sufficient POD (Prevention of Disabilities) supplies and tools; 4 crutches and 138 pairs of protective shoes were dispatched to PALs in need, alongside other protective tools. 

As winter comes, cases of chapped skin and burn injuries have been increased.  Most of the PALs are sensory impaired and unable to feel heat.  This often results in burns, especially during winter.  Project staff and healthcare workers continuously conduct household safety education for PALs to help them protect themselves from burn injuries as which often develop into ulcers.

In December, Project manager Kelly Xu was invited by the Red Cross in Xichang to give seminar at Xichang College on leprosy.  Ms. Xu shared her knowledge of the effects and treatment of leprosy, and her experience in her seven years with The Project.  Her talk was followed by a question and answer session.  The audience was keen to ask questions and understand the true facts about leprosy.

The film “Children of Leprosy” produced by Mr. Rob Tinworth was a highlight of the event giving the audience a chance to see the real lives of PALs and their families in the project villages.

It is through seminars and publicity events like this that we are able to give positive messages and spread the truth to the public about leprosy.  Leprosy is not contagious and it is curable.

“I was born in 1931 in a village near Kang Le (the leprosy rehab village where Liu lives now).  I have one sister and three brothers. Children were not able to go to school in those days.  My eldest brother worked in the landlord’s home to support the family.  My mother passed away when I was five years old.  I had too many siblings.  My father could not afford to feed so many mouths so I was sent away to live with another family.  Life with my adoptive family was difficult.  They were not kind and I rarely had a full meal.  I ran away and lived in the nearby graveyard without shelter, eating scraps and begging for food. I lived like this for two years.  Eventually my father found out and took me back.”

“Child brides were common in those days and I was promised to the son of another family.  I was sent to live with this family and given the task of taking care of their cattle.  I was well treated by my husband’s family.  With a contented smile Liu reminisced, “I have spent my entire life with my old companion since my childhood.  We love each other and have never argued.  We were officially married when I reached the age of 18.  An old lady whose zodiac was compatible with mine came to comb my hair.  My family offered a cabinet and a quilt for my dowry.  Relatives and friends from the village were invited to a simple banquet.”  

Liu joined the Communist Youth League in 1951 and was admitted to the Communist Party 3 years later.  She became one of the officials in the Village and Township Government.  As she talked, we could sense her pride in the early stages of her career.  Her good fortune did not last long though; she developed the symptoms of leprosy.  Everyone in the family believed it was because she had ‘too much dampness’ in her body from living in the graveyard.  At first they ignored the symptoms.  When Liu’s health did not improve, her friend recommended she have a check-up in the hospital.  It was then that she was diagnosed with leprosy.  Liu was sent to the leprosy rehab village in 1957.  She was one of the lucky ones, she did not have to spend her life in solitude; her husband decided to move to the leprosy village with her.  They left their three children to be taken care by their Grandparents.       

Life was tough in the 1960s; the Government was promoting self-reliance.  They had a slogan “Leprosy is not scary and it is curable.” The village began to develop, and many model laborers were sent to the village to visit and study. Despite this people continued to be afraid of people with leprosy.  Though the PALS were given ration coupons by the government it was difficult to for them to buy anything.  Outsiders would often sanitize the coupons before accepting them.

Liu recounted to us that during that time, “My foot was punctured by something sharp while working in the field.  I did not pay much attention to it.  Between the heavy workload in the fields and my position as the deputy village head, I had too much work to do.  Over the years my wound deteriorated and became a chronic ulcer.”  She stressed, however, that all 12 families in the village who married, after they fully recovered from leprosy, had children, and the second generation was born healthy. 

Liu speaks with pride about her children. Her youngest son is now a teacher and visits her very often; he also brought her to the best hospital in the area the last time she was sick.  He gave her more than one thousand Yuan to buy Chinese herbs to restore the health.  The day before we arrived, he called Liu to ask her whether she had finished the medicine, saying he would bring more during his next visit.  Liu seldom sees her daughter who married and moved away from the area.  Liu also told us that her eldest grandson is getting married soon and invited her to the wedding in her old hometown.  Sadly, she will not be able to share the happiness with him as the ulcers in her feet make traveling any distance very difficult.

When asked about her life now, Liu was excited to tell us about the development of the village and the installation of power cables. Everything is so different nowadays.  People outside the village show concern for us and as a result, the villagers’ mood is better.  Liu is looking forward to spending her remaining years watching how the world develops.

We are honoured and pleased to have been selected by the Asian Charitable Services (ACS) to participate in their Fund Raising Strategy Project in January and February, 2013.  ACS is a registered non-profit organization in Hong Kong that aims at empowering and equipping non-profit organizations to build their capacity and improve their fundraising and long term planning.  This involves and intensive three session workshop and we are confident that our organization will have much to gain from attending these workshops.

Dr. Theresia Liem and Peter Barrett gave a presentation to the Chinese University Ladies Club. Afterwards, one of the attendees, Eleanor Gomersall of Shatin College offered to set up a stall at her school’s Annual Fair to promote The Project.  On Saturday, 17th November, 2012; Eleanor and a group of friends sold homemade cakes and lemonade raising HK$ 2,960. 

The BSC was registered in September, 2011 with a capital of RMB130,000. The cooperative consists of 150 household members from The Project villages. They have a variety of eco products for sale, including honey, free range chickens, homemade bacon, and goat meat from the highlands; white peas, bitter buckwheat, and green Sichuan pepper from Jinyang. The honey from the highland villages proved to be the most popular.
The grand opening was held on 8th December, 2012 together with a “Green and Ecological” promotion at the Moon Square in Xichang City. The celebration drew crowds from the neighborhood who shopped for the green products. This is an important step in integrating PALs and their products into mainstream society.