Press Release
Emergency response restores hope, dignity and security to residents of Nimbhora -
thanks to SFLG's generous supporters
thanks to SFLG's generous supporters
Monday 31 August 2026 Emergency Update: hope arrives in Nimbhora. In the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, a place scarred by crop failure, poverty, and deep rural hardships, Nimbhora Leprosy Relief and Rehabilitation Centre has been holding on by its fingertips.
Thanks to SFLG's generous supporters, we've provided a year's supply of medicines, wound care, footwear and mobility support for twenty elderly persons affected by leprosy who need lifelong residential care.
Thanks to SFLG's generous supporters, we've provided a year's supply of medicines, wound care, footwear and mobility support for twenty elderly persons affected by leprosy who need lifelong residential care.
Drought in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. Copyright ALAMY
SFLG's Director, Katharine Jones
|
Thank heavens we could respond to Fr Crisler's cry of help. I dread to think what would have happened to the residents otherwise. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, these vulnerable elderly people now have a roof over their heads and provisions for the year head. |
For fifty years, this small leprosy centre has been a refuge for people who have nowhere else to go, people who rely entirely on the centre for food, medicine and safety.
This summer, the situation became critical. Amravati Diocese had run out of funds. The roofs were leaking. Walls were cracking. Food supplies were dwindling. Closure was no longer a distant fear, it was imminent, and twenty elderly residents, many with severe disabilities caused by living with the lifelong consequences of leprosy, were in danger of losing their home.
When Fr Crisler Perumbully, wrote to us about this desperate situation, asking for our help, SFLG's Board of Trustees replied immediately and worked swiftly to ensure that funds were made available in the form of an Emergency grant.
The grant means the centre can stay open. It means food on plates, medicines in cupboards, and repairs to the roofs that have been threatening to collapse. It means twenty people who have already been cast out by society will not be cast out again.
We were only able to do this because our donors give so generously to support our work. This is what we have been able to achieve together, through compassion, and at exactly the moment it was needed. Fr Crisler said:
This summer, the situation became critical. Amravati Diocese had run out of funds. The roofs were leaking. Walls were cracking. Food supplies were dwindling. Closure was no longer a distant fear, it was imminent, and twenty elderly residents, many with severe disabilities caused by living with the lifelong consequences of leprosy, were in danger of losing their home.
When Fr Crisler Perumbully, wrote to us about this desperate situation, asking for our help, SFLG's Board of Trustees replied immediately and worked swiftly to ensure that funds were made available in the form of an Emergency grant.
The grant means the centre can stay open. It means food on plates, medicines in cupboards, and repairs to the roofs that have been threatening to collapse. It means twenty people who have already been cast out by society will not be cast out again.
We were only able to do this because our donors give so generously to support our work. This is what we have been able to achieve together, through compassion, and at exactly the moment it was needed. Fr Crisler said:
Your decision has brought joy to the leprosy‑affected inmates of Nimbhora.”
A simple sentence, but one that carries the weight of relief, gratitude, and the knowledge that someone, somewhere, still sees them and still cares about them.
Elderly residents receive nutritional supplements at Nimbhora leprosy centre.
|
Wound care for a resident at Nimbhora leprosy centre
|
St Francis Leprosy Guild ("SFLG") is the UK’s Catholic leprosy charity. SFLG has cared for people with leprosy for over 130 years. The charity operates in twelve countries in Africa, Asia and in Brazil where leprosy is endemic. By supporting over thirty leprosy centres and projects, it plays its part in caring for those affected by the disease and working towards a leprosy-free world. SFLG funds research projects, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and Active Case-Finding; a programme that finds, diagnoses and treats people with leprosy before it causes disability and spreads into communities.
Please contact Katharine Jones for further information.
Please contact Katharine Jones for further information.
