Supporting a Leprosy and Rehabilitation Centre

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Project location: LIBERIA, Ganta
Project start date: July 2010 - Project end date: December 2010
Project number: 2010-12
Beneficiary: Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Liberia

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One of the most devastating effects of the fifteen years long civil wars in Liberia has been the strong resurgence of the most dangerous infective diseases. Leprosy, among them, is the one which kills more people of all ages. Children, middle age people, old men and women are not exempted from the infection, malnutrition being its favourite culture medium. The basic nourishment problems, mainly in the rural areas and the areas far from the big towns, have not yet been entirely solved by the "Health and Social policies" provided by the Government. The wide alimentary insufficiency is a strong incentive factor to the diffusion of leprosy and infective diseases.

Lack of water, total lack of the sewer system in the villages, lack of wells disinfection apparatuses contribute dramatically to enlarge the dimension of the problem. In such a frame, the Embassy is going to take action as per the following outlined point.

The Ganta Leprosy Center hosts an average number of inmates of approx. 290 units (male, female and kids). The conditions of the hospital are presently bad because of permanent shortage of economic means. The Center is managed by four very active nuns from the Consolata Congregation Sisters who, a day after the other, perform their constant and generous miracle.

The sisters drew up a list of priorities, and a grant has been awarded by the Nando Peretti Foundation, to achieve the following goal:

1) purchase of a new pick-up (the old one is in a non-economic conditions to be repaired) for field trip necessary to screen and treat leprosy patients in the villages around Ganta, as well as to bring the ones who are in worst conditions to the Center for the last cares;
2) purchase of n. 50 hospital beds, relevant sheets, pillows and mattresses;
3) purchase of n. 500 pcs. Vaseline ointment for leprosy patients skin care and n. 500 pcs of antiseptic soaps (bathing and washing);
4) renovation of the roof of the male ward, painting of the walls, restoring of the doors and windows;

5) construction of n. 4 toilets, w/ relevant water closets, lavatories, tiles, pipes, full hydraulic system, etc;
6) 13 complete farming tools sets (including hoes, spades, pickaxes, barrows, etc.) for the farmers working inside the Rehab;
7) purchase of 180 bags of rice (which represent the basic quantity to feed regularly the inmates for 6 months).

The previous Leprosy Control Programme was activated in Liberia by the Sovereign Order of Malta in the years 1973 - 1977, and successively interrupted because of the two civil wars which devastated the Country. The nowadays strong resurgence of the disease imposes to restart the Programme beginning just from the Leprosy Rehab Center in Ganta. Afterwards, the Embassy will take care to restore the Health Centers in the Bong, Nimba and Maryland counties.

Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Republic of Liberia