Khusbu Yadaba, 12
Her father was a cook, but died 4 years ago. He had been ill for a while. One of the places he went to get treatment was at Lalgadh Leprosy Services Centre, and while there, Khusbu’s mother saw a poster on the wall that showed what patches resulting from leprosy looked like. She had noticed similar patches on Khusbu’s left leg, and asked one of the doctors if this was treatable. She was told yes and brought her daughter to Lalgadh shortly after where Khusbu was put on MDT for PB leprosy. It was while she was on treatment that her father died.
His death deeply affected the family. “When one problem happens, all problems come.” Said Phul Kumari Yadav, Khusbu’s mother. As well as being an emotionally very difficult time, the family (Khusbu also has a brother and two sisters) were also left without the families main income earner, and a lot of debt. They had spent 300,000nrp on his treatment. Various neighbours in the village had loaned them the money to pay for it, but when he died, they wanted the money back.
6 months after he died, they sold off ¾ of the land owned by the family, just to pay off their debts. Now they have no land, just the house.
Phul has been working as a farm labourer as well as a doing various domestic duties, and all the children have now stepped up to help in whatever way. The elder brother is training to be a chef like his father, but is not yet earning money from it.
Khusbu’s school fees are paid in full by LLSC. She has now made a full recovery from having leprosy.
Khusbu is also part of the local self-help group (mainly for those affected by Leprosy), and has taken a recent loan for the family to build their house up, but nevertheless things are though and Phul says coping is sometimes a real struggle.
Instead of writing on the polaroid Khusbu asked if she could paint on it instead. She is clearly a naturally creative individual.
Photographed while on assignment for American Leprosy Missions and effect:hope.
Haripur, Nepal 2018
Her father was a cook, but died 4 years ago. He had been ill for a while. One of the places he went to get treatment was at Lalgadh Leprosy Services Centre, and while there, Khusbu’s mother saw a poster on the wall that showed what patches resulting from leprosy looked like. She had noticed similar patches on Khusbu’s left leg, and asked one of the doctors if this was treatable. She was told yes and brought her daughter to Lalgadh shortly after where Khusbu was put on MDT for PB leprosy. It was while she was on treatment that her father died.
His death deeply affected the family. “When one problem happens, all problems come.” Said Phul Kumari Yadav, Khusbu’s mother. As well as being an emotionally very difficult time, the family (Khusbu also has a brother and two sisters) were also left without the families main income earner, and a lot of debt. They had spent 300,000nrp on his treatment. Various neighbours in the village had loaned them the money to pay for it, but when he died, they wanted the money back.
6 months after he died, they sold off ¾ of the land owned by the family, just to pay off their debts. Now they have no land, just the house.
Phul has been working as a farm labourer as well as a doing various domestic duties, and all the children have now stepped up to help in whatever way. The elder brother is training to be a chef like his father, but is not yet earning money from it.
Khusbu’s school fees are paid in full by LLSC. She has now made a full recovery from having leprosy.
Khusbu is also part of the local self-help group (mainly for those affected by Leprosy), and has taken a recent loan for the family to build their house up, but nevertheless things are though and Phul says coping is sometimes a real struggle.
Instead of writing on the polaroid Khusbu asked if she could paint on it instead. She is clearly a naturally creative individual.
Photographed while on assignment for American Leprosy Missions and effect:hope.
Haripur, Nepal 2018