36. Putting on a brave face

19 year old Amrita has seen how hard her mother works to provide for the family and how illness has taken away her father's independence.  When an opportunity for a university scholarship presents itself, she takes it knowing this may be the opportunity she needs to help create a better life for her family.Send us Fan Mail

Maya lives in an informal settlement on the outskirts of a rural village.  She lives a quiet life, doing household chores, chatting to neighbors and tending to their small veggie patch at the back of the house.  Maya lost both her legs in a bus accident many years ago. She has grown adept at maneuvering her wheelchair over the rough terrain to get to the market and attend community events.  However, getting to the bathroom built at the back of their house continues to be a challenge, especially when it rains.  With no path wide enough for her wheelchair, Maya has to crawl along the muddy ground to reach their bathroom.Send us Fan Mail

We are excited to be participating in Podcasthon 2026, a platform creating awareness of the amazing charitable causes from around the world.  This special episode talks all things leprosy and why it still matters today.  Please join us for a fun, and slightly nerdy deep dive into the world of leprosy.You can also check out Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/Send us Fan Mail

When Shanta started to feel her body get increasingly weaker and pain grew more intense, she thought she was going to die.  She spend many hours crying, not because of her fear for herself, but out of fear for her 8 year old son.  If she was no longer around, he would not have a future.Send us Fan Mail

Kshitiz is certain that he is cursed to have leprosy for the rest of his life.  He's ready to face it head on.  But now that he has a daughter, he's worried that she will inherit the same curse.  He will do anything to stop that from happening.Send us Fan Mail

10 year old Raju was happy doing all things normal 10 year old boys do in his village.  But one day, on the way to school, he met a traditional healer who told him to drop out of school because his dad had no money for his schooling.  This was untrue, but it set off a chain of unexplainable changes in Raju's behaviour that left his family baffled and afraid.Send us Fan Mail

48 year old Khem has never worn a pair of shoes in her life.  Born with a problem that prevents her from placing her foot flat on the ground, she was never able to wear a pair of normal shoes.  But this hasn't stopped her from living her life.  Find out how she reacted when she was finally gifted a pair of custom made shoes.Send us Fan Mail

Rekha has known of discrimination all her life but she's tough.  She's built an independent life and won the respect of her neighbors.  When a cow stepped on her foot and caused a small wound, Rekha thought she would heal and simply move on.  But the wound grew so big doctors had no choice but to amputate her foot.  Will people still respect her now?  Or will they judge her by her missing foot?Send us Fan Mail

16 year old Sujan looks like he's 8 years old.  A few days out from heart surgery to fix a hole in his heart, Sujan receives bad news that a suspicious patch on his skin is leprosy and surgery is cancelled.  Having waited in hope for over 8 years for surgery, this news is devastating to Sujan.Send us Fan Mail

Growing up with an abusive alcoholic father, Janam had no choice but to start working when he was 9 years old.  He had barely been outside his village.  When he started to get sick, he didn't know how to get to the hospital but kindness came from unexpected places.Send us Fan Mail