Hello from Rob

An old school friend, David Manners, is involved in a charity that supports lepers in India, they're almost a forgotten people, as I hear that they are often shunned from society, and forced to become like nomads, as they may be unwanted close to others.

Their website is here, and it's worth spending a few moments learning about leprosy and some of the people being helped. http://sarvashubhamkara.org

He's written a book about his life and experiences helping these poor downtrodden people, details of which can be found on the site too. I greatly admire his commitment, as he spends his free time over there, at his own expense, helping to educate these people.

Leprosy is curable but, even after treatment, people who've had this disease are still often unwelcome back in their original communities. Treatment usually involves many months of drug taking, and the people, many of them banished as young children from their homes, often lack the knowledge and understanding of the need to continue treatment - often they sell their pills in order to raise money for food etc, as they typically are unable to do or find much paid work.

It's an eye opener onto another type of hidden society.