Tobias’ home has the feel of a community centre – men are arriving for a meeting and taking their seats in the spacious lounge.
As the leader of this self-help group for leprosy-affected people in West Timor, Indonesia, Tobias is confident and motivational – he’s gathered the group together himself.
Tobias visits people diagnosed with leprosy, boosts their self worth, and encourages them to come to the group. And he has big plans for the future. When they receive a loan from TLM the group will rear cows and sell them. But until then, every member of the group is saving 7,500 Rupiahs (50 cents) a month
‘I want to bring people together,’ Tobias says. ‘People always look down on us but I said let’s show them that we are able to do something.’
Yet when TLM staff first met Tobias he was living in a broken-down, isolated hut, rejected by the community; they wanted him to leave when they found out he had leprosy. ‘My close relatives were okay,’ Tobias says, ‘But I stayed away from my family because of the stigma.’
Story submitted by Leprosy Mission.
