{"id":182,"date":"2014-06-18T08:46:56","date_gmt":"2014-06-18T08:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nlt.ie\/?page_id=182"},"modified":"2020-09-02T06:47:37","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T06:47:37","slug":"sponsor-a-village","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nlt.ie\/?page_id=182","title":{"rendered":"Village Alive Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lalita awaits the Itaharwa Women’s Group meeting, Oct 2019. Photo: R Thomas \u00a9 NLT Ireland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Itaharwa villagers (below) await a\u00a0Village Alive Project (VAP) Women\u2019s Group meeting. The VAP is a 3-year programme currently underway in 5 villages in District 2. In this prearranged meeting, men, women and children come together to discuss their concerns and needs as part of the programme.<\/p>\n

Lalita (above), a community outreach team member with Lalgadh Hospital, prepares to meet the Women\u2019s Group of Itaharwa village, Dhanusha District.\u00a0The women are encouraged to express their needs for themselves and their families. This boosts their confidence and gives them a powerful voice in village affairs.<\/p>\n

\"Itarharwa<\/a>
Itaharwa Women’s Group Meeting Oct 2019. Photo: R.Thomas \u00a9NLT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

History of Leprosy in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n

What – there was leprosy in Europe?<\/p>\n

Yes. In medieval Dublin, for example, the disease was quite common. The city suburb of\u00a0Leopardstown<\/a>\u00a0is named not after wild cats but people with leprosy: Baile na Lobhar<\/em><\/strong> in Irish means \u2018town of the lepers\u2019. A leprosy hospital stood here on the edge of the city.<\/p>\n

So how did leprosy die out in Europe? Largely, it\u2019s thought, because of a rise in the standard of living. As food, housing, water supplies and sanitation improved, so did immunity, enabling people to fight off the infection before\u00a0the development of modern medicine.<\/p>\n

This idea \u2013 fight leprosy and uplift communities by improving living standards, \u00a0\u2013 drives the\u00a0Village Alive Project\u00a0(<\/em><\/strong>VAP).<\/p>\n

The VAP is an intensive\u00a03-year project<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0that focuses on a single community, often a very poor Dalit village (Dalits are a group traditionally regarded as untouchable).<\/p>\n

The programme consists of:<\/p>\n