For many decades, we have supported the Cienaga de Oro Leprosarium at Morroa in Columbia in conjunction with the Franciscan sisters of Our Lady. Some fifty leprosy sufferers live there with their families. The sisters of Cienaga de Oro help to improve their living conditions: they combat hunger, provide agricultural support for the people and ensure they receive medical aid. Altogether, the sisters of Cienaga de Oro aid 200 people who would otherwise live in abject poverty.
After India, Brazil is the country with the highest incidence of leprosy in the world. For many years, the average number of new cases registered and treated there has been running at around 40’000. Leprosy is particularly prevalent in the poor federal states in the north-east and west. In the poor regions of Brazil, poverty and leprosy go hand in hand.
The endeavours in the Brazilian federal states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul face particular difficulties – both regions are badly affected by leprosy. Seeking out newly infected persons is especially difficult there on account of the region’s inaccessibility and vast extent. As a result, sufferers frequently present late for treatment and also often stop it too soon. Training, supervision, education campaigns and help in the search for newly infected persons are supported from Cuiaba, the capital of Mato Grosso.
Further information on leprosy can be found here: Leprosy
Our efforts in the Brazilian federal state of Mato Grosso and the Amazonas area are confronted with special difficulties – both regions are regarded as very highly infested with leprosy. It is particularly difficult to detect the newly infected.
Girl from Dourados, Brasil, Photo: DAHW
Especially in Amazonia, there are highly impassable areas, many colonies can be reached only by boat. The search becomes additionally difficult due to the large spatial distances between the colonies of different ethnic communities of the jungle dwellers.
The funds serve to support the Institutes Alfredo da Mata in Manaus and the Federal States Programme in Mato Grosso. Both programmes are being coordinated by GLRA (German Leprosy and TB Relief Association). Until 2009 FAIRMED has co-financed these projects, starting 2010 GLRA assumes the whole financing.