Story number 3 for 9 May 2001

(China)–Although leprosy is curable, many individuals who have had leprosy in China face social and economic problems largely due to misconceptions associated with the disease. That’s according to American Leprosy Mission’s Matthew Maury. “There’s a lot of people who’ve been living for several decades in these villages because they left their family and they really have nothing to return to. So, a lot of American Leprosy Missions’ work is going to these villages, working with these individuals and the families there, almost all of whom are completely impoverished.” Maury adds that their projects enable their patients to earn a living and, in the process, they are introduced to the hope of Christ. “Christians have actively been taking a role in meeting the needs of families affected by leprosy. Our point of contact in many of these communities is this long-standing relationship that the church has both with the individuals who are affected by leprosy in these villages and in the greater community as well as the relationship with the government.”