Anandaban Hospital—meaning “Forest of Joy”—is located in a beautiful wooded mountainside about 12km south of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. It offers magnificent views of the valley below.
You would think that this beautiful hilltop complex – which has brought hope to thousands of leprosy patients for many years – would somehow be shielded from disaster. But in the past decade, the team at Anandaban has endured much trauma.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia. It is also vulnerable to climate change, with floods and wildfires becoming more frequent and severe. Nepal is also prone to earthquakes due to its location on a fault line.
In 2015, Nepal suffered a series of high-magnitude earthquakes that destroyed buildings and caused fatal landslides in the Himalayas. Nearly 9,000 people died, and more than 22,000 suffered injuries.
The quakes damaged many of the buildings on the hospital site, and staff struggled to provide the level of emergency care needed in the aftermath. Yet because of the Anandaban team’s sacrificial care and outreach, the Nepalese government made the hospital a nominated disaster relief centre.
During the national pandemic crisis in 2020, a ten-bed COVID isolation unit was opened, which cared for hundreds of critically ill patients.
Then in April this year, the hospital narrowly escaped being wiped out by forest fires.
Despite positive changes in attitudes, leprosy is “still a thing” in Nepal. 2,522 people were diagnosed with leprosy in 2023, mainly in the south of the country. 181 of these new cases were children.
Because leprosy still retains its stigma and mythology, it is that feared thousands of cases go undiagnosed. While leprosy is curable with multi-drug therapy, Nepalese people may hide early symptoms because of cultural perceptions that leprosy is a punishment for former life transgressions. Many people affected by leprosy in Nepal stay “hidden” in their communities. And if left untreated, the disease can lead to permanent disability.
Sanjali was diagnosed with leprosy when she was just 12 years old, but the family delayed seeking treatment for two years. Eventually, doctors at her local hospital referred her to Anandaban Hospital, where she was treated and cured. Sadly, Sanjali has been left with permanent scarring on her face and body.
The stigma of leprosy can follow people like Sanjali, even after they’re cured. Now in her 40s and married with three children, she has overcome the visible effects of leprosy and is earning a living for herself and her family by producing handmade wrapping paper and greeting cards.
Sanjali is proud of her work and she is glad that she can earn a living and take care of her family. Her eldest daughter, Sanju, hopes to study nursing after school. When you buy Sanjali’s handcrafted items, you help her whole family.
