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ABOUT US
LEARN ABOUT OUR THREE-PRONGED APPROACH
Leprosy is one of the most ancient of diseases. It has been affecting lives for thousands of years and was recognized even in the oldest civilizations of China, Egypt, and India. As long as leprosy has been around, it has also been a significant cause of fear, disability, and isolation for those within its reach.
Leprosy affects the nerves of the infected individual, and if left untreated can lead to a loss of sensation, deformities to the face and limbs, and blindness. Individuals that contract leprosy are often sent or forced away, along with their entire family, to isolated colonies that have little interaction with mainstream society. They often become known as “the untouchables.”. This stigma and isolation stay with the families for generations, creating a cycle of poverty, sickness, and misery.​
The good news is that leprosy is now curable. Unfortunately, the attached stigma and fear, lead to a high lack in self-reporting or in seeking treatment. Thus, the disease is allowed to take stronger hold, causing greater deformity and disability for the infected persons. Leprosy patients (and members of their family) often find it impossible to marry, receive education, find work, and receive access to necessary healthcare. Individuals and families resort to begging, and most often internalize the belief that they have no value. They no longer believe that a healthy, meaningful, productive life is possible. We know that this is not true! Rising Star Outreach of India empowers individuals and families to rise above the stigma associated with leprosy and to live healthy, productive lives through: medical care, community development, and quality education. Each of these pillars make up our holistic approach to truly lifting persons affected by leprosy and creating lasting change in the lives of these individuals and their communities, and ultimately, in helping to eradicate this ancient disease. We would like to invite you to become a part of this important work through one of the CSR funding opportunities described in the Proposal Request that was sent along with this Organization Profile. It is our wish that our partners experience some of the life-changing hope and improvement brought into the lives of those served through such a gift, our partnership will be able to continue to mature and develop in the coming years as we work together to erase the mark of leprosy and heal, on many levels, some of the world’s most downtrodden.
“Leprosy work is not merely medical relief. It is transforming the frustration
in life into the joy of dedication, personal ambition into selfless service.
“If you can transform the life of a patient or change his values of life,
you can change the village and the country.”
​
- Mahatma Gandhi
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LIFTING PEOPLE WITH LEPROSY
Rising Star Outreach empowers individuals and families to rise above the stigma associated with leprosy and to live healthy, productive lives through quality education, medical care, and community development.
MEDICAL CARE
People who have contracted leprosy are often shunned from society and most are considered “untouchable”.
Fear and stigma prevent early detection and the necessary steps to be cured and overcome the disease. It can be difficult to find doctors willing to help. Our mobile medical clinics provide medical care, vision care, and an aggressive screening program to detect and treat new cases of leprosy.
A simple multi-drug therapy cures leprosy. With early detection, we can stop leprosy before it ravages a body and ruins a family. Our medical program also provides treatment and support for people that are living with the deforming and debilitating effects of this terrible disease.
COLONY DEVELOPMENT
We designed our development programs to increase the dignity and self-reliance of colony members as we help them achieve economic rehabilitation and assist them in infrastructure building projects.
Rising Star Outreach helps facilitate infrastructure, growth and community development within India’s leprosy colonies. Colony leaders receive micro-grants, manage the disbursement, repayment, success, and the growth of the loans.
Families become self-sufficient. Parents are productive members of society and are treated with dignity. Their children do not need to focus on financially supporting their families and can focus on an education.
EDUCATION
One of the fastest and most effective ways to overcome the fear and stigma associated with leprosy is through education.
Education creates opportunities for the children living in leprosy colonies. The Peery Matriculation School for Rising Stars provides an education from kindergarten to 12th grade. Nearly 20% of our student body is comprised of children from surrounding villages. By integrating children from the communities with children from the leprosy colonies, we are seeing how fear and stigma are overcome when they are united in common goals.
Quality educators provide our students with a rigorous academic program that includes English, science, math, and computer technology. Our 11th and 12th grade students enjoy specialized tracks at our equivalent of a junior college to prepare them for higher education and a promising career. We are proud to have 67 students who are either currently enrolled in college or are college bound this year after graduation.
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